HISTORY MINUTE

As people race to organize the last details on travel, get-togethers, and gather last-minute ingredients, the nation again marks the Fourth Thursday in November as a day to pause and consider what really matters in life. For a day, a busy nation tries to pause for a moment to consider all the good things and be grateful for them. Th anksgiving is a holiday that dates back generations.

Perhaps the most notable Thanksgiving feast was that of the Pilgrims at the Plymouth Colony on November 22, 1621. It had been a diffi cult year for the English settlers who had arrived in Massachusetts the previous November. Th e Wampanoag tribe, which controlled most of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, made offers of friendship to the Pilgrims, sharing their food as the colonists struggled through the winter and then taught them about raising crops in the area.

The Pilgrims were a religious community who had traveled together to the area. After a bountiful harvest, they decided to organize a feast to give thanks to God for their good fortune. In the spirit of gratitude, the Wampanoags were invited to join them in what became a three-day feast. The meal was quite different than the usual fare seen on American tables today. Using what was available locally, they ate swans, seals, deer, fish, and lobsters.

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