Thanksgiving is America’s special day. It is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in the month of November. It has a very interesting history. Its origin can be dated back to the 16th century when the first thanksgiving dinner is said to have taken place.

The legendary pilgrims, crossed the Atlantic in the year 1620 in Mayflower-A 17th Century sailing vessel. About 102 people traveled for nearly two months with extreme difficulty. This was so because they were kept in the cargo space of the sailing vessel. No one was allowed to go on the deck due to terrible storms. The pilgrims comforted themselves by singing Psalms- a sacred song.

The pilgrims reached Plymouth rock on December 11th 1620, after a sea journey of 66 days. Though the original destination was somewhere in the northern part of Virginia, they could not reach the place owing to winds blowing them off course. Nearly46 pilgrims died due to extreme cold in winter. However, in the spring of 1621, Squanto, a native Indian taught the pilgrims to survive by growing food.

In the summer of 1621, owing to severe drought, pilgrims called for a day of fasting and prayer to please God and ask for a bountiful harvest in the coming season. God answered their prayers and it rained at the end of the day. It saved the corn crops.

It is said that Pilgrims learnt to grow corn, beans and pumpkins from the Indians, which helped all of them survive. In the autumn of 1621, they held a grand celebration where 90 people were invited including Indians. The grand feast was organized to thank god for his favors. This communal dinner is popularly known as «The first thanksgiving feast». There is however, no evidence to prove if the dinner actually took place.
While some historians believe pilgrims were quite religious so, their thanksgiving would’ve included a day of fasting and praying, others say that the Thanksgiving dinner did take place.

There is no evidence to prove if the customary turkey was a part of the initial feast. According to the first hand account written by the leader of the colony, the food included, ducks, geese, venison, fish, berries etc.
Pumpkin and Thanksgiving Feast
Pumpkin pie, a modern staple adorning every dinner table, is unlikely to have been a part of the first thanksgiving feast. Pilgrims however, did have boiled pumpkin. Diminishing supply of flour led to the absence of any kind of bread.
The feast continued for three days and was eaten outside due to lack of space. It was not repeated till 1623, which again witnessed a severe drought. Governor Bradford proclaimed another day of thanksgiving in the year 1676. October of 1777 witnessed a time when all the 13 colonies joined in a communal celebration. It also marked the victory over the British.
After a number of events and changes, President Lincoln proclaimed last Thursday in November of thanksgiving in the year 1863.
Kate Volnova

Thanksgiving symbolizes the joy of loving, caring, sharing. It is all about togetherness and merry making. The festival stands for the ’Oneness’ of people. It epitomizes peace, harmony and union. People world over thank the Lord almighty for all the blessings and material possessions bestowed on them.
A symbol is an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance. Special thanksgiving symbols prevalent world over are:
• Pumpkin
• Turkey
• Corn
• Cranberry
• Cornucopia
• Beans
Dima Sokolov

Pineapple Cheese Salad
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cans tinned pineapple chunks, save the juice
1 — 2 cups small marshmallows (optional)
250 gms cheese (paneer)
l egg
2 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch (mixed with 1/4 cup water)
l tbsp. sugar
Method of Preparation:
Put pineapple juice, cornstarch mixture, sugar in a bowl and blend. Add beaten eggs to form a smooth mixture. Cook on slow flame, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens. Let the mixture cool, then add pineapple chunks, small marshmallows and cheese. A tasty salad is ready to eat

Traditional Turkey Sandwich
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-20 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 cup cream cheese/mayonnaise
4 teaspoons brown mustard
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, if desired
1/ tsp ground cinnamon
8 slices Whole Wheat Bread, toasted, if desired
4 leaves curly leaf lettuce
3/4 pound thinly sliced Turkey Breast
1 large apple, cored,cut in 8 rings
Method of Preparation
For Cheese Spread: In small bowl, mix together cream cheese, mustard, dried cranberries, walnuts and cinnamon.
For sandwiches: Spread each slice of bread with cream cheese spread. Top 4 slices with lettuce leaves, turkey and apple rings. Complete sandwich with remaining bread.
Dasha Veretennikova

Thanksgiving is all about enjoyment, fun and merry-making. It is about the feeling of togetherness. Share thanksgiving jokes with your relatives and friends to bring a smile on their face and brighten their day.