The First Thanksgiving

1
The First Thanksgiving

• A group of puritans, called the Pilgrim Fathers,
  sailed from England in a small ship called the
  Mayflower.
• To avoid religious persecution by King James I,
  they spent two months at sea to reach a strange
  new world, and barely survived once they got
  there.
• It was the year 1620.

2
Voyage on the Mayflower

• The 1620 voyage from England to America was more
  than 3,000 miles and beset by autumn storms.
• As the Pilgrim Fathers landed in New England,
  they founded the town of Plymouth.
• At the beginning, life was very hard. They didnt
  know how to build houses or how to grow food, and
  many of them died of the cold.

3
The Wampanoag

• Fortunately, native people called Wampanoag, or
  Eastern peoples, already lived in the
  Massachusetts Bay area. They shared their
  knowledge of local crops and navigation with the
  coat-men, as they called the English, and
  helped the colonists survive. When in the autumn
  of 1621 they had a very successful harvest, the
  Pilgrim Fathers and Native Americans decided to
  have a thanksgiving festival to thank God for
  their lives and their health. They celebrated for
  three days, with a big meal.

4
The Thanksgiving Feast

• Today Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the
  USA, on the fourth Thursday of November.
  Americans meet up to have a traditional meal with
  their families and say thank you to God for the
  good things in their lives.
• Turkey, pumpkins and corn are traditional foods
  for the Thanksgiving meal. Pumpkin is the most
  popular traditional dessert. In some American
  schools, children perform a Thanksgiving play.

5
Comprehension

• Answer the following questions
• Who were the Pilgrim Fathers?
• How did they sail to America?
• Why did they decide to leave England?
• What was the voyage like?
• When did they arrive in New England?
• What was life like at the beginning?
• Who helped them? How?
• What happened in 1621?
• How long did the celebration last?
• What is Thanksgiving today?
• Why do Americans celebrate it?