Thanksgiving in the Land of the Pilgrims

Living in Plymouth, Massachusetts my entire life, I know much more than I need to know about Thanksgiving. From kindergarten until eighth grade, a major part of the curriculum is Plymouth history, also known as history of the Pilgrims.

The Pilgrims came from England to the United States in 1620. It is said that they landed in Plymouth and built their settlements here. The Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower, a ship that held too many people considering the amount of room on the ship. Most of the people died en route to the new land. Once the Pilgrims got here, they were faced with many challenges. The befriended a Native American name Squanto who helped them through. After a year of being in Plymouth, the Pilgrims had a huge feast to show how thankful they were for surviving a year in the new land. This feast is now celebrated as Thanksgiving.

Plymouth is still focused on celebrating this feast. We have the 2nd highest rated Thanksgiving parade in the nation (right after the Macy's parade). The parade features marching bands, floats, balloons, and a lot of history. It is a tradition to go to the parade and then go to the waterfront for food and to continue the fun.

I love the culture of Plymouth. I am an off the boat Pilgrim. I am an Eaton and a Howland, which are some of the best known Pilgrims. I could not ask for a better hometown. You can never truly appreciate Thanksgiving without knowing the background.