Thanksgiving day. A celebration that came to us in 1621 when Plymouth colonies and Wampanoag Native Americans shared a huge harvest feast in the autumn. The feast lasted three days and had a total number of 90 Wampanoag peoples and 53 pilgrims, according to the history website. Throughout history we have taken this special day and celebrated it.
People of different religions and backgrounds can celebrate this tradition very differently from others. After providing a google form to all DHS students, the data shows various contrasting traditions from each student.
The percentage of students in our school who celebrate Thanksgiving resides at 93.9 percent. Out of all the responses from the google form, every single person celebrates it a little bit differently than the rest. Getting a closer insight on these diverse traditions, junior Kate Hudack enjoys cooking the Thanksgiving meal with her mother and grandmother.
“I cook a Thanksgiving meal with my grandma and mom,” Hudack said. “Then we make all the guys clean up after we labor for hours in the kitchen. After we eat we typically set up the Christmas tree in our living room which is very exciting.”
Thanksgiving is a time of joy and gratitude for many, but it also marks the holiday before Christmas. Christmas is a very exciting time for most people and Thanksgiving can be a day that kicks off the holiday season and all of the buzz that it brings about.
“My family always picks out our Christmas Tree on Thanksgiving weekend,” sophomore Caden Cummings said. “I think it is a fun family activity for everyone to help pick out the tree. It also gets us excited for Christmas.”
However not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving for various reasons. These reasons could include culture, nationality, religion, or indigenious background.. Senior Mishi Khan is a part of this population.
“I don’t celebrate thanksgiving because it’s a holiday that celebrates colonization and the mass genocide of Native Americans. Giving thanks is important but I think that should be something you do everyday, not once a year,” Khan said.
DHS’ student body includes many students from different countries and nationalities. Thanksgiving is strictly celebrated in the United States and Canada when our people came across our land. Junior Paloma Manrique explains why her family does not celebrate this day.
“I’m from Spain so we don’t celebrate thanksgiving because it’s an annual national holiday just in the United States and Canada.” Manrique said. “But while I’m here doing my exchange year I do celebrate with my host family.”
Whether students celebrate this holiday or not, many people enjoy the holiday break from school and work, and use it as a time to reunite with distant family members as the holiday season nears.
