Celebrations in the United States

The 4th of JulyHalloween

Thanksgiving

The 4th of July

America´s Independence Day

July 4th, 1776

Independence from England• In the 1600s and 1700s, England established

many colonies in North America.• Some of these colonies were unhappy with

the English government.• 13 colonies fought a war for independence in

the 1770s.

The Declaration of Independence

• On July 4th, 1776, the colonists declared independence from England.

• Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and many others signed an official Declaration of Independence.

Today, Americans celebrate their independence from

England by watching fireworks…

…going to carnivals…

…and having cookouts with hamburgers, hot dogs, and

watermelon.

HalloweenAll Hallow´s Eve, October 31st

All Hallow´s Eve• Halloween is a very old holiday celebrated on the night before All Saint

´s Day (or All Hallows).• According to legend, the night before All Saint´s Day, evil spirits come

to your house.• In order to scare them away, you must also pretend to be an evil spirit!

Halloween Today• American kids celebrate

Halloween today by going “trick or treating.”

• They dress in scary costumes and go to all of their neighbors´ houses to get candy.

• Many families decorate pumpkins with scary faces. These pumpkins are called “Jack-o-Lanterns.”

• Nobody believes in evil spirits today, so Halloween these days is really just for fun!

ThanksgivingA Day of Giving Thanks

The Pilgrims

• In 1620, a small group of English settlers came to North America.

• They arrived in Massachusetts, but they did not know how to survive in the New World.

• Many of these “Pilgrims” died that winter.

The Indians

• The native Indians in Massachusetts were called the Wampanoags.

• The Wampanoags felt sorry for the small group of settlers.

• They showed the English Pilgrims how to plant corn, squash, and beans.

The First Thanksgiving• In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims and the Indians celebrated the

first Thanksgiving together.• They were thankful for the harvest, as well as for their peaceful

life together.• They ate turkey, corn, pumpkin, and many other things.

Thanksgiving Today• Relations between the English

and the Wampanoags were not always peaceful. The Wampanoag culture was almost completely destroyed in war.

• But today, Americans still celebrate Thanksgiving to give thanks for the harvest and for their peaceful life.

• Americans gather with their families on the fourth Thursday in Novemeber, and they still eat traditional foods like pumpkin pie, turkey, and corn.