The origins and meaning of Thanksgiving

The modern Thanksgiving holiday is based on the Thanksgiving harvest festival celebrated by the Pilgrims, who were early English settlers. The Pilgrims landed in Plymouth Bay in modern-day Massachusetts in 1620. They celebrated Thanksgiving after their first successful harvest in 1621. 

That first holiday lasted for three days, and was attended by both Pilgrim settlers and Native Americans and celebrated the friendship between them. During the previous winter, the Pilgrims had struggled to survive. Their crops had died in the sandy soil and they had trouble finding food. The winter in Massachusetts was much harsher than the winters back in England. Half the Pilgrims died and many more were at risk of dying. The local Native Americans provided the Pilgrims with food and supplies during the winter. The next summer, they also taught the Pilgrims several important survival skills, such as how to grow corn and catch eel. This festival marked one of the first friendly exchanges between European settlers and Native Americans.

Historically, Thanksgiving was celebrated at a time when most farmers were finished harvesting their crops. They would have a big dinner with their family and closest friends to celebrate their blessings and harvests. President Abraham Lincoln later established the tradition of a national and annual Thanksgiving holiday.

While most Americans are no longer farmers, the tradition of celebrating blessings and food remains and the holiday is still held at harvest time, on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States.

Language Focus

English Vocabulary and Expressions

1. fireworks shows – (noun) a show where fireworks are used – also known as firework displays.

Fireworks –  explosive rockets that shoot up into the air and explode with loud noises, bright colours and different shapes. They are used at various celebrations and festivals.

• We went to see a fireworks display at Halloween.

2. blessings – (noun) something that you are grateful for

• To be healthy is a blessing. Good health is something to be thankful for.

3. harvest – (noun) the time of year when crops (food grown on a farm) are gathered or collected.

• There is always a lot of work to be done during the harvest.

4. settlers – (noun) people who settle/decided to stay in in a place and make it their home 

English settlers – first English to arrive and settle in America

• The settlers treated the natives very badly.

5. lasted – continued for a period of time, have a duration of.. (past simple of verb: to last)

• The strike lasted 5 days.
• The football match lasted 90 minutes.

6. struggled – tried hard to achieve something with great difficulty (past simple of verb: to struggle)

• The passenger struggled to carry his heavy bags.

7. crops – (noun) plants that are grown commercially on a farm, such as fruit, grain and vegetables

• Harvest is the time when the crops are gathered.

8. harsher – (adjective) more harsh, more difficult to survive in, more severe

• The higher the wind speed, the harsher the sea is during a storm.

9. survival skills – (noun) skills, knowledge or abilities that help you to survive, that help you to stay alive

• In the army, soldiers must use survival skills they have learned to stay alive in the wild.

10. eel – (noun) a fish which lives in the water and is long and thin like a snake which can be caught and eaten as food

11. annual – (adjective) happening once a year

• My birthday is an annual event.

12. no longer – not anymore

• John no longer lives in London, he moved to New York in 2014.

13. Held – to organise an event in a place , to have an event (past simple of verb: to hold an event)

• The concert was held in the stadium.