The First Thanksgiving
While there is strong evidence that the real first Thanksgiving occurred much earlier in other countries, as any grade-schooler can tell you, the one that matters was between the Pilgrims and Native Americans at Plymouth in 1621. The First Thanksgiving was a gathering between the English colonists and the Wampanoag Indians — the same natives who helped the Pilgrims cultivate the land and learn to fish, which saved them from starvation. While the Pilgrims meant to celebrate the holiday as a fast (not a feast) to give thanks, the Indians who joined in the three-day affair contributed their harvest celebration traditions, including dance, games and food. They likely ate fish, eels, shellfish, stews, vegetables, and yes, turkey. The meal formed the basis for a peace treaty that lasted between the two groups until King Philip's War in 1675, during which hundreds of colonists and thousands of natives lost their lives.