ABOUT THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November

each year. On this holiday, Americans give thanks for many things,
including their family and friends, access to educational
opportunities, and their personal and political freedoms. The main
Thanksgiving event in American homes is the large meal typically
consisting of turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn,
cranberries, bread, green beans, casseroles, and pumpkin pie.
Many of these dishes are made from family recipes that are used
only on this special family day.

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 by the Pilgrims and

the Native Americans. The Pilgrims were a group of people who left
England in search of religious freedom in North America. Native
Americans were indigenous people who had learned to use the
natural resources on the North American continent to provide food
and shelter. The Pilgrims joined the Native Americans for a three-
day feast to celebrate the successful harvest. Many people still
celebrate the cross-cultural dimension of Thanksgiving by
welcoming an international student or other guest into their home for
a Thanksgiving meal. The many international students studying in
the United States would be lonely on this family-oriented federal
holiday, when the university is closed. The invitation to spend
Thanksgiving with an American family is a welcome opportunity.
Everyone can participate in Thanksgiving, which has expanded from
a celebration of the harvest to include giving thanks for all of the
good fortune in life.