Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, which is one of 11 federal holidays in the U.S., is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November each year. The holiday is based on the early history of Europeans in North America, before the U.S. was even a country, back when mainly Indigenous people were living here. The holiday commemorates the help Indigenous people gave to Europeans during their first winter here, approximately 400 years ago.

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In the U.S., Thanksgiving is generally considered a day for giving thanks and is often celebrated with a big family meal. Typical Thanksgiving foods include turkey, cranberry sauce, root vegetables, and pie. Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday. Government offices, schools, and banks are closed. Many people have the day off from work. Some people watch American football on television.

Not everyone in the U.S. considers Thanksgiving a day of celebration, and instead see it as a day of mourning. This is because when the Europeans settled North America, they forced the Indigenous people off their land. Some people consider that the Europeans committed genocide.