Thanksgiving

The history of both the celebration and the meal is complex. The popular perception is that both have their origin in 1621, when the Governor of Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts declared that the successful bringing in of the first harvest, after a winter of privations, be celebrated with a feast. It is certain that the feast was held, and that both the settlers and the Native Indians of the area took part; a contemporary source states that the latter included Chief Massasoit and ninety men, and that the dishes served included fowl and deer. Beyond that, little is known for sure, and the event was not repeated until 1623.