Thanksgiving is one of the most important holidays in the United States. We celebrate it on the last Thursday of November. This year, Thanksgiving is on the 25th of November.

The first Thanksgiving took place in the 1620s. The Pilgrims, the first group of settlers in America, survived their first year in America. To celebrate, they made a big meal and invited the Native Americans to thank them for their help.

We always spend Thanksgiving Day with family. We spend the whole day cooking, and then everyone eats a big meal together in mid-afternoon.

The most famous Thanksgiving dish is turkey. Other popular dishes include stuffing (similar to migas), cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cornbread and gravy. But every family has different dishes they prepare every year, and each family´s recipe is slightly different.

As a dessert, there is usually a pie. There are many kinds of pie, but some of the most popular pies to eat at Thanksgiving are pumpkin pie and pecan pie.

Because there is always a lot of food on Thanksgiving, people eat leftovers for a long time afterwards. Many people like to make sandwiches with the different parts of the meal.

On Thanksgiving morning, there is a big parade in New York City. It is sponsored by Macy´s, which is one of New York´s largest and oldest department stores. It is shown on television, so people can watch it all over the country. It is famous for its giant balloons.

During the day, there are always (American) football games on TV. So on Thanksgiving, many people watch football. Many others also go outside and play football with their families.

Because Thanksgiving is on a Thursday, there is a long weekend (puente) every year, and no one goes to work on Friday. We consider this day the first official day of the Christmas season, and all the shops have big sales. We call the day Black Friday because all of the shops are very crowded.

A common Thanksgiving tradition is for everyone at dinner to go around the table and say what they are thankful for. So…

What are you thankful for this year?