What is Thanksgiving?
The Puritans were a group of English Protestants emerging around the mid-16thcentury who sought “to purify” the Church of England (Anglican Church) from the influence of the Catholic Church. They were persecuted by different English monarchies for criticizing the religious corruption of the Church of England. When King James I established that it was a crime not to belong to the Church of England, a group of Separatists fled from England to Holland in 1607. Later, they came to America aboard the Mayflower and founded the Plymouth Colony in 1620. This particular group of Separatists are also known as “Pilgrims” or “Pilgrim Fathers".
After signing the Compact, the Mayflower passengers explored the Cape Cod area and decided to settle down in a location they named Plymouth after the harbour in England from where they left. The historic landing took place on December 21, 1620. During the first year the Pilgrims went through all kinds of problems. The diseases, the lack of food, and the harsh winter conditions killed many of them. The Wampanoag Indians teach the Pilgrims good fishing spots and farming techniques which they soon begin to employ.
In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims celebrated their first successful harvest inviting the Wampanoag tribe to three days of feasting. The President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed “Thanksgiving Day” a nationwide holiday on November 26, 1789. Thanksgiving is celebrated in the United States “the fourth Thursday of November” to honour the memory of the Pilgrims.