READING 1 Thanksgiving

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York has been an annual event since 1924. Each year it draws millions of spectators.

THANKSGIVING

Read the following article. Pay special attention to the words in bold. 5.1

Thanksgiving is a very special American holiday. On the fourth Thursday in November, Americans come together with their families and friends to share a special meal and give thanks for all the good things in their lives. Typical foods on Thanksgiving are turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans, and pumpkin pie for dessert.

What is the origin of this great day? In 1620, a group of Pilgrims left England and came to America in search of religious freedom. There were 120 of them: men, women, and children. They started their new life in a deserted1 American Indian village in what is now the state of Massachusetts. But half of them did not survive their first cold, hard winter. In the spring, two American Indians2 found the people from England in very bad condition. They didn’t have enough food, and they were in bad health. Squanto, an English-speaking American Indian, stayed with them for several months and taught them how to survive in this new land. He brought them deer meat and animal skins; he showed them how to grow corn and other vegetables; he showed them how to use plants as medicine; he explained how to use fish for fertilizer3—he taught them many skills for survival in their new land. By the time their second fall arrived, the Pilgrims had enough food to get through their second winter. They were in better health. They decided to have a Thanksgiving feast4 to celebrate their good fortune5 . They invited Squanto and neighboring Indian families of the Wampanoag tribe to come to their dinner. The Pilgrims were surprised when 90 Indians showed up. The Pilgrims did not have enough food for so many people. Fortunately, the Indian chief sent some of his people to bring food to the celebration. They brought deer, fish, beans, squash, cornbread, berries, and wild turkeys. The feast lasted for three days. This was a short time of peace and friendship between the Indians and the Pilgrims.

Now on Thanksgiving, Americans eat some of the traditional foods from this period in American history.

1 deserted: empty of people 2 American Indians: the native people of America; American Indians are sometimes called Native Americans. 3 fertilizer: something put into the earth to help plants grow 4 feast: a large meal 5 fortune: luck