| Thanksgiving Day has a special meaning for Americans. |
| Many holidays were brought along from Europe by the early settlers, and didn’t change very much. |
| But Thanksgiving takes on a special shape in North America. |
| That is because of the Thanksgiving celebrated by the early pilgrim settlers in Massachusetts in 1621. |
| These early settlers were from England and they were known as Puritans. |
| This is because they wanted to purify the state religion of England. |
| They felt that the churches were more concerned with politics and customs than God and worship. |
| They were also called Pilgrims, because they were willing to travel to other countries |
| in order to worship God the way they wanted to. |
| When the English government put some of the Pilgrims in jail, the rest left England and went to the Netherlands. |
| In the Netherlands, they could have their own churches. |
| However, it was hard to earn a living there, and at first they didn’t know the language. |
| In time, the English king learned where they were and tried to have them arrested. |
| So they thought of another plan. |
| Pilgrim leaders like William Brewster attempted to raise money to start a colony in North America. |
| They would have to borrow money and pay it back later. |
| Thirty members of the Pilgrim church in the Netherlands voted to sail to America with their families. |
| They returned to England and set sail on two ships, the Speedwell and the Mayflower. |
| When the Speedwell appeared unable to cross the ocean, both ships returned to England. |
| All who still wanted to sail crowded into the Mayflower and set sail on September 6, 1620. |
| Many of the passengers became sick during the long voyage, and some died. |
| They encountered fierce storms because they were sailing late in the season. |
| After 66 days, they sighted the sandy shoreline of Cape Cod, in present-day Massachusetts. |
| There was disagreement between the Pilgrims and others on board ship about what to do. |
| So first they had to agree to a common form of government and elect a governor. |
| Since winter was coming, they decided to stay on the ship till spring. |
| About half of the remaining settlers died during the first winter. |
| When the Mayflower sailed back to England, only about fifty settlers were left. |
| Nearly half of these were children. |
| There were Indians in Massachusetts, but at first they were not friendly. |
| They shot arrows at the settlers. |
| But one day a friendly Indian named Samoset came to visit them. |
| He spoke English and could tell them many things. |
| He brought another Indian named Squanto, who showed the Pilgrims how to plant corn. |
| Eventually, their chief Massosoit came, and he promised to keep peaceful relations with the settlers. |
| All spring and summer of 1621, the Pilgrims worked hard in the fields. |
| They also finished building houses and barns. |
| In the fall, they were delighted to see that the corn and vegetables had grown well. |
| They decided to have a thanksgiving feast and invited their Indian friends. |
| On the day of the feast, Chief Massosoit came with ninety Indians. |
| There were turkeys, deer meat and fish to eat. |
| The feast lasted three days. |
| When the food ran low, the Indians went out to shoot more birds and animals. |
| The Pilgrims and Indians competed in races, wrestling, shooting and other games. |
| The Pilgrims addressed prayers and thanks to God for providing food, shelter, freedom of religion and friendly Indians in this new land. |
| Ever since 1621, Thanksgiving celebrations include memories of that special occasion. |
| Today, turkeys, cranberries, corn and squash are usually part of the Thanksgiving meal. |
| In the United States, Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday. |
| It’s celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in November. |
| In Canada, where the harvest is earlier, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October. |
| The celebration always includes giving thanks for the good things that people have received, especially for food and families. |
| Along with this goes the Thanksgiving meal, when so many good things are eaten. |
