Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day every year on the fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving is a very traditional celebration. In 1620, a boat, called the Mayflower, filled with more than one hundred people sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the New World. These people, called Pilgrims, left England for religious or other reasons. The Pilgrims arrived in America in December 1620 and founded Plymouth Colony in what is now Massachusetts. 

They had arrived too late to grow many crops. And because they did not have much fresh food, 47 of the 103 Mayflower passengers died during the hard winter. But the remainder did not lose hope. By spring, each family had a home, and all were planting grains they had brought with them. The friendly Wamponoag Indians taught them how to grow corn, a new food for the colonists. The Indians also showed them how to fish and to hunt the wild game in the woods.

In the autumn of 1621, bountiful crops of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins were harvested. The colonists had a lot to be thankful for, so a feast was planned. They invited Chief Massasoit and 90 Indians. The Indians brought deer to roast with the turkey and other wild game. The colonists had learned how to cook cranberries and different kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. To this first Thanksgiving, the Indians had even brought popcorn.

Today we still celebrate Thanksgiving Day with a big meal. A lot of the food is similar to the food at the Pilgrim's first Thanksgiving. Everybody brings a dish of food. What do we eat? The traditional meat is turkey with stuffing. We also eat mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, squash and other vegetables. Cranberry sauce is served with the turkey. The whole afternoon seems to be spent at the table. And after a break for clearing away some dishes, dessert is served. There are pumpkin, mincemeat and apple pies. And cakes and cookies... Some people take a break by watching the afternoon football game. The Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City is also shown on TV. The rest of the 4-day weekend is used for eating up all the leftovers.