It is the last month of fall and the winter season is just around the corner. The best part about this last month is that we can jubilee Thanksgiving. Not only is Thanksgiving the time to be around family and be grateful for everything we have, it is also a time for celebration. Now it may not be as big of a celebration of the 4^th of July or the welcoming of the New Year, but it is important. The first Thanksgiving was an important moment in history, and it does not receive enough credit.

Most people think of Thanksgiving as a time to be grateful, and no doubt it is, but there are many underlying details. When the pilgrims first came to America, they in no way had an easy time. Although they did escape the rule of the monarchy there were many difficult tasks ahead of them. The pilgrims had to start over from scratch with half the people that came over. Many people had died from diseases, before the pilgrims had not even made it to land. Arriving in America gave hope, but also brought harshness of winter with it.

The holiday was not given its official name until 166 years after the first celebration. Unlike now where Thanksgiving is only dinner, the pilgrims and the Native Americans who joined them, celebrated for 3 days. The whole reason for the holiday was because it celebrated the first harvest of corn. A Native American, who had been forced into slavery in England, taught the pilgrims how to cultivate corn, catch fish and learn survival skills. The Native American also helped form an alliance that with a neighboring clan for over 50 years. Thanks to the Native Americans the pilgrims were able to survive.

Our menus were also very different. Unlike ours where one of the main desserts is pumpkin pie, the pilgrims had hardly any sugar from the trip over and therefore had no sweets. The pilgrims also had lobster, seal and swans, where we have turkey. Scholars are not positive on all the food present at the feast, but it was nowhere near similar to what we eat today.

Thanksgiving is not only time to feast, being grateful for what we have, but a celebration of peace and happiness after hardships. Thanksgiving is a holiday that was important for everyone, yet does not receive the credit it deserves.