Thanksgiving: Thankful for the Truth

By Jayden Clasby

Leaves are falling, Halloween is all over, kids sick of candy, Mariah Carey de-frosting, and crazy moms decorating for Christmas even though it’s a month away. Because it’s TIIIIIIIMMMEEEE… For Thanksgiving! Got you there. Most people overlook Thanksgiving, and some even skip it. Studies show that 2% of Americans skip Thanksgiving, which means 7 million Americans don’t celebrate this holiday at all. “Thanksgiving is the annual holiday in which Americans and Canadians celebrate the harvest and blessings of the year. It is said that in 1621, the Pilgrims shared the first Thanksgiving with the Wampanoag people and ate food.” (says Brittanica) So, besides the Pilgrims and Native Americans meeting up, the main reason for Thanksgiving is for the food (and being grateful).The Thanksgiving meal has been shared since 1621, but what about Thanksgiving is so important, and do we really know what happened?

History of Thanksgiving

Many people have been taught the history of Thanksgiving, but it might have been the “sweet, Americanized version”. The real history of Thanksgiving is a lot darker than you think it would be, which more people are slowly coming to learn about it. The classic “Thanksgiving meal” was actually a meal that the pilgrims would have after destroying a village.They would call it “Thanksgiving” because they were grateful for the food they stole from the village before they burned it. (accordingacording to NativeHope.org) More and more Native Americans have been spreading the real truth, and it is very important that we acknowledge the true mourning that happens on Thanksgiving. Due to the light shining on the dark truth, many Americans have stopped celebrating Thanksgiving altogether. 

Thanksgiving for different families 

People celebrate Thanksgiving in many different ways. Some people do special dinners or use different types of ways to celebrate. The, The one we’re most familiar with is doing thedo the classic dinner and giving thanks. I sent out a poll to students and teachers throughout TEACH NW. 

A little more than half of the people polled think that Thanksgiving is an important holiday. Some people stated that they (instead of doing the classic dinner) have special movie marathons or go places, or even just go out to eat. Some people have stated that they don’t reach out to extended family and just do family meals instead. 88% of the responses said that they do celebrate some sort of a Thanksgiving meal. And 84% said that they do the classic meal. 

Thanksgiving meal 

Food, food, food, food, food! Oh the food! There’s a lot of it around Thanksgiving time, and extravagant, different kinds of food come to shine during the time. Based on this poll, these were the most popular favorite foods: Pie was the most popular, then different kinds of potatoes, then turkey, then stuffing, and bread, casserole, corned cream, and corn bread. MyThe least favorite foods are meatare, meat (most people that said this were vegetarian/vegan), stuffing, casserole, cranberry sauce, potatoes, green beans, and lastly gravy. 

The wide variety of food and culture really shows the wide variety of people celebrating. Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving is a great way to show that no matter the history, culture, or people, we all can be grateful to be with family. Whether the history of Thanksgiving is good or bad, we all can come together and celebrate.