Thanksgiving was first celebrated in 1621,when Plymouth governor William Bradford invited neighboring Native Americans1) to join the Pilgrims2) for a three－day festival in gratitude for the successful harvest that followed a hard winter.

The feast they sat down to3) had very little in common with today's celebration,however.It is quite likely that their feast consisted of fish,venison4),corn and other vegetables.Today's traditional dinner of turkey,mashed5) potatoes,green bean casserole6),cranberry7) sauce8) and pumpkin9) pie is mainly the result of a strong advertising campaign by turkey producers.

Thanksgiving was proclaimed a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.Many Americans consider this to be only an American holiday although it is also celebrated in Canada and harvest festivals are held throughout the world.
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