There are many different types of stories of how Thanksgiving was originated, but the well known story of First Thanksgiving starts with the celebration by the pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in October 1621 with the First Nations. However, it wasn’t an official holiday then. In the midst of a Civil War, Thanksgiving would provide some sort of solace. So, when Abraham Lincoln was president, he proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday on October 3rd.

        The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 over a three day harvest festival. It included 50 pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians, where only five percent of those in attendance were women. Today, the staple dish of Thanksgiving is turkey, but back then, Thanksgiving’s main dishes included venison, duck, goose, oysters, lobster, eel and fish, alongside pumpkins and cranberries. Later, people’s most beloved desserts became well-renowned, like pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce.

       In this holiday people across the country gather together to share a meal and reflect on all the things they’re grateful for, but there’s much more to do during this beautiful time of giving thanks than just eating. From parades to shopping and so much more Thanksgiving is celebrated in a wide variety of ways.