Thanksgiving has evolved as we have celebrated it in many ways. Thanksgiving is a way to celebrate and give thanks to your family or anything that you are thankful for. It’s a time to connect and share thoughts about your life and connect with your family if you haven’t seen them. So how much has Thanksgiving changed over the years?
It all started in September 1620, when a ship called the Mayflower would head towards the Wampanoag village. These people were soon known as the pilgrims. According to History.com “religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the ‘New World.’” Soon after they started constructing their village their first problem came, which was winter. Winter was brutal for them as they didn’t know how to survive. So many of them would have gotten sick and starved as crops and medicine were almost ineffective at the time and many didn’t have anything to eat due to crops dying.
After this winter had passed they soon made it to spring where they would gain a ton of help from Squanto and his tribe. According to history.com it says “Squanto taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants.” The pilgrims wouldn’t have made it through their life without Squanto as he taught them life lessons and helped them flourish. Therefore leading to having a feast known as Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving was a harvest celebration that the pilgrims began celebrating in 1621. This was known as the first thanksgiving. Where many people shared their foods and expressed their gratitude towards one another. They all got along and prepared a feast for everyone to enjoy as they all ate and had a fun time with each other sharing their knowledge and how to survive on their part of land.
Some of these traditions are still practiced today but things have changed. We don’t have a feast with the entire village but we invite our family to a gathering and eat food and catch up about anything that has happened. “I like Thanksgiving because I can see my closest cousins and family and my favorite cousins,” said Stacy Ramos. Spending time with family is a great thing even if you don’t see them very often which is great as it gives you a time to catch up.
Thanksgiving has changed in many ways since the first thanksgiving. From sharing ways to survive and how to plant and grow crops to eating inside homes and celebrating with their closest families and friends. So don’t forget to tell your family and friends that you’re grateful for them and thank each and everyone of them.
