Written on Monday 21st November 2016
Thanksgiving originated as a harvest festival and dates back to the arrival of the Pilgrims on US soil in 1620. The settlers arrived in winter and struggled with harsh weather and limited rations. When Spring came the Pilgrims planted their own crops and were taught how to grow corn, pumpkin and squash by a Native American named Squanto.
The Pilgrims invited the Native Americans to join them for a harvest feast which colonies began to celebrate annually.
George Washington named Thanksgiving an official holiday in 1789 after the end of the Revolutionary War.
Canada celebrates a separate Thanksgiving to its southernly neighbour. It is observed on the second Monday of October, which this year was October 10.
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