Thanksgiving

Why we celebrate• Thanksgiving is

celebrated in the United States and Canada.

• Originally, Thanksgiving was celebrated to give thanks to a plentiful harvest.

• Today, it is a day to give thanks to our family and friends and all of the blessings in our lives.

History of Thanksgiving in the United States: Pilgrims

In 1620, They came from England on a ship called the Mayflower…

The first people to immigrate to the United States are called Pilgrims.

…and settled on the east coast of the United States, later called, New England.

History of Thanksgiving in the United States

However, when the Pilgrims first arrived to their new land, they didn´t have any food or shelter!

So they asked the Native Americans for help.

History of Thanksgiving in the United States

Because they knew how to use the land to their advantage, the Native Americans taught the Pilgrims how to farm. One year later, the Pilgrims had plenty of food and the knowledge of how to survive in their new land.

History of Thanksgiving in the United States

To give thanks to the Native

Americans for helping them survive, the

Pilgrims invited the Native

Americans to share their

harvest during a big feast.

The First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Today

Today, Thanksgiving

is still celebrated

with a feast.

Thanksgiving Today

It is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of

November. Thursday and Friday of that

week are holidays. We need the long

weekend to recover!

Thanksgiving Today

On Thanksgiving Day, Americans get together with their families and close friends

to have a big dinner. I like Thanksgiving because it is not a religious holiday, and all

Americans celebrate it.

Thanksgiving FoodApart from giving

thanks and spending the

evening with family, food is the most important part of

Thanksgiving. Turkey is almost always the main dish. My mom

reserves the turkey from the grocery

store one month in advance!

Thanksgiving FoodStuffing and gravy are foods that we eat with the turkey.

Stuffing can be made in lots of different ways. It is usally made with bread, onions, apples, and nuts. Meat can be added too. It is cooked in the oven, and then stuffed inside the turkey cavity

for extra flavor.

Gravy is a sauce that we pour on top of the turkey and potatoes. It is the last

thing to be made for the dinner because made from the juice that is left

over from the turkey pan, and the turkey giblets (innards). To make

gravy, you must wait until the turkey is finished cooking.

Thanksgiving FoodWe usually eat two types of potatoes on Thanksgiving.

Mashed potatoes are made from boiled white potatoes that are then mashed to make them soft. They taste excellent when they are mashed with cream or

garlic! We put gravy on mashed potatoes.

Sweet potatoes are orange in color and have a very sweet flavor. We usually bake sweet potatoes in the oven with some oil and a little bit of

salt. Delicious!

Thanksgiving FoodCranberry sauce is also eaten with the turkey. It is

made by boiling cranberries in sugar-water until they burst. Then the water is drained and the cranberries are mashed. You can also buy cranberry sauce in a

can if you don´t feel like cooking.

Thanksgiving Food

Casseroles are very popular to eat on Thanksgiving. The word casserole refers to a food that is made in a ceramic

or glass dish in the oven. There are many kinds of casseroles. A more popular Thanksgiving casserole is

green bean casserole, made with green beans, onions and mushrooms.

Thanksgiving Food

For dessert, fruit or pumpkin pies

are the most common. My favorites are

lemon merengue pie or warm

apple pie a la mode (with a

scoop vanilla ice cream on the

top)!

Thanksgiving TraditionsIn my family, Thanksgiving is

celebrated at my house.

Thanksgiving TraditionsMy family shares the cooking responsiblities. We usually start cooking at around 11 a.m.

Thanksgiving Traditions

My aunts, uncles, cousins, grandma, and

some family friends usually get together around 4 o´clock on

Thanksgiving Day and have dinner around 5 o

´clock.

We eat dinner so early because we have a lot to eat! After dinner, no one can move, so we just sit around, walk,

drink, and maybe take a walk to burn off

some food.

Thanksgiving Traditions

Black FridayThe Friday after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. It

marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. It is called Black Friday because of the extreme amounts of people and traffic on the streets of big cities. Many stores

have big sales on this day, and a lot of them open as early as 5am!

This is a long line of people waiting for the popular store,

Target, to open early in

the morning of Black Friday.