What is Thanksgiving? Have you ever asked yourself how did this tradition start? Maybe you’re an international student and have never heard or celebrated this holiday before. Well, stick around as we are going to break down a brief history of Thanksgiving and why we still celebrate it today.
Origin
So, the Thanksgiving origin traces back to the first pilgrims that arrived to modern day Massachusetts in 1620. Long story short, these settlers had no idea how to survive the cold harsh winters in this region. The first winter passed and wiped out nearly half of the pilgrims. When the spring finally arrived, the pilgrims moved ashore and came across a Native American from the Abenaki tribe. This Native American spoke English and later returned with Squanto, another Native American from the Pawtuxet who had been kidnapped and sold into slavery by the British. Squanto taught the pilgrims how to grow corn, fish, and survive in the wilderness of this new territory. In 1621, after the pilgrims first successful harvest, the governor of the settlement organized a feast to thank the Native Americans for their knowledge and help.
Thanksgiving became an official national holiday in the midst of the civil war by Abraham Lincoln. However, in New England the tradition had always been celebrated since its origin back in 1621. Nowadays, the official holiday lands on the 4th Thursday in the month of November. Now, why turkey? Well, the theory is that that the pilgrims offered turkey as part of the feast.
Here at Cesar Vallejo College, we want to give thanks to all of our students, professors, staff and collaborators for all of their help in making CVC a great organization. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
