What do People Do on Thanksgiving?

Valeria Arroyo and Fatima Faisal

Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Thanksgiving’s history goes back to 1621, when a group of English Pilgrims in present-day Massachusetts shared a feast with a tribe of Native Americans to celebrate a plentiful harvest. The exact date was verified in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln, and he declared it a national holiday across the whole country. Thanksgiving is also celebrated in Canada, the Caribbean Islands, and the U.K.

People have plenty of traditions for Thanksgiving, so we asked a few students what they do. Emma Castañeda, a freshman here at HMSA said that her family puts slips of paper with different types of foods in a container to see who will make which food for their Thanksgiving dinner.

Shania Miles, a sophomore, says she simply goes to a fast food restaurant for Thanksgiving. Rahma Nur, another sophomore, said that her family gets together to eat a big feast.

Catherine Sanchez, a senior, said that she goes to her aunt’s house, where they have a potluck and then eat all the food.

Some other students said that they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.