As popular as Christmas in the United States, Thanksgiving, or “Thanksgiving,” is celebrated with the family on the fourth Thursday in November.
According to the most widespread version, its origin dates back to the first settlers who moved to America in the 17th century. In 1620, the Mayflower, the ship that carried the British Pilgrim Fathers, arrived on North American soil in what we know today as Massachusetts. So they started to build a town there, Plymouth. The particularly harsh winter got the better of half the crew. But the fate finally worked in their favor.
Two Native Americans of the Wampanoag people came to the aid of the pilgrims facing famine. One of them, named Squanto, spoke English because he had been captured to be made a slave in London before managing to escape and return to his native lands. Together, they taught the British how to hunt, fish and, above all, cultivate and harvest corn. Thanks to this advice, the pilgrims obtained a bumper harvest the following year.
A turkey pardoned by the president
To thank them, the governor of the colony, William Bradford, then decided to proclaim a day of thanksgiving and thanksgiving that the pilgrims share with them. On this occasion, the Natives brought turkeys to roast, a dish that Americans still enjoy today. Only one is pardoned by the president, a symbolic act that the White House has been carrying out since the late 1980s.
The timing is one of many traditions that accompany the day, such as city parades or American football games. More commercially, the date also marks the start of Black Friday, a day of significant reductions in stores, and which has been exported abroad.
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