The tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving Day has its origins in 1621, when the English settlers celebrated, with the natives of the area, the success of their first harvest for three consecutive days. This celebration begins the "festive season" that lasts until New Year's Day.

This day marks the memory of the Native Americans' role in the first Thanksgiving, a holiday held to thank them for sharing their knowledge and skills to grow and harvest food. Without that help, it is likely that the early Pilgrims would not have survived.

The legacy of giving thanks, particularly with a shared feast, has survived for centuries.

Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving? 🍁

Family gatherings

Perhaps the most important thing about Thanksgiving is that it is the date on which all families regularly gather together to spend time with each other no matter how far apart each family member lives.

For this reason, this date is the busiest time of the year for people to travel. Whether by land or air, most people do their best to get to Thanksgiving with their families. This is probably why many Latino families have adopted this tradition when they migrate to the United States. When the issue is gatherings and family celebrations, we Latinos know how to celebrate!

Traditional food

For many U.S. families, Thanksgiving is the time of the year; when we eat the most, even more than Christmas! Family gatherings are held to dine on a variety of foods that are identified as traditional for this date: sweet potato, apple and pumpkin pies, mashed potatoes and, the best known of all, the oven-roasted turkey.

This last dish is so important that it is a must at any Thanksgiving dinner. That is why this date has also been jokingly called Turkey Day.

Tell us how you celebrate this day, do you do something with your family?

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