rims did not know how to hunt or fish - that they would die without help in the New World. Squanto and Chief Massasoit extended their friendship to the Pilgrims. They showed them how to catch fish with nets and how to grow corn, pumpkins, potatoes and squash - foods from the New World. The Indians showed the Pilgrims where to hunt turkey and deer, and where to gather nuts and berries. They explained to the Pilgrims that the land was master of those who walked and lived there. The harvest of 1621 saw the fulfillment of their labors. The Pilgrims had grown barley, corn, pumpkins, and beans. The settlers labored to gather their bounty; and in thanks for their fortune, decided to honor the land with a special day of thanks and celebration. In friendship and gratitude to Squanto, Chief Massasoit and the Indian people, they invited their new friends to join in the feast. The Pilgrims spent days preparing for the feast. The men hunted ducks and turkeys, while the women baked food and decorated the table. When the day finally arrived, the Pilgrims were surprised to see not 10, not 20, but 90 Indians approaching the village! They brought with them a bounty all their own. For three days, the Indians and Pilgrims feasted and gave thanks to the land for the harvest. It was a celebration of friendship and thanks; but most of all, it was a celebration of freedom. Neither the Indians nor the Pilgrims knew what they had begun, but from this celebration emerged Thanksgiving as we know it today. We have been celebrating it as a uniquely American holiday ever since. In 1863, President Lincoln officially declared the last Thursday in November a holiday of "thanksgiving and praise", and so it remains today. Happy Thanksgiving! ...
