Thanksgiving

    The story of the first Thanksgiving

    Around four hundred years ago many people in England were unhappy because their King would not let them pray to
 God as they liked. The King said they must use the same prayers as HE did and if they refused they were persecuted,
 imprisoned or even killed.
     These Englishmen left their homes (in Plymouth) and went far away to a country called Holland. In Holland they were happy but they were very poor. Then when the children began to grow they became less god-fearing and did not want to pray any more.
 After much talking and thinking these English people decided to embark on a pilgrimage to the new world: AMERICA.
     They set out in  a small ship called the Mayflower to take them across the sea. There were about one hundred people
 on board the tiny ship. It was crowded, cold and uncomfortable. The sea was rough. They spent two months sailing across the Atlantic Ocean.
      At last the Mayflower came in sight of land. The month was November and it was cold. There was nothing to be
 seen but snow, rocks and hard bare ground. They were tired and cold from their long journey, and hungry too.
 No one had enough food to eat. Many of them became sick and by springtime almost half of the people had died.

      In spring the sun shone brightly, the snow melted and the leaves and flowers began to emerge. Some friendly
 Indians had visited the Pilgrims during the winter. One of the kindly Indians was named Squanto. He stayed with the
 Pilgrims and taught them how to plant their corn, peas, wheat and barley. The summer came and the days were long
 and bright. The pilgrim children were very happy in their new home on Plymouth Rock.     
       When it was autumn the fathers gathered the barley, wheat and corn that they had planted and found that it had
 grown so well that they would have quite enough for the long winter that was coming.
       Let us thank God for everything, they said. Then they decided to have a big thanksgiving party and invited the
 friendly Indians.
       They prepared wild duck and geese and great wild turkeys. There was deer meat, bread and cakes.
 They had fish and clams from the sea nearby. The friendly Indians all came with their chief. They were dressed in deerskins
 and some of them had wild-cat fur skins hanging on their arms. Their long black hair fell loose on their
 shoulders and was trimmed with feathers or fox tails.
        Before they ate the Pilgrims and the Indians thanked God together for all his goodness.
        And so the story goes of the first Thanksgiving celebrated in Plymouth colony nearly four hundred years ago.
        As you sit down with your friends and family this Thanksgiving remember this original tale and give thanks for all
  God's abundant blessings.
.