The Introduction of Thanksgivings Thanksgiving is 1 every year on the fourth Thursday of November. The month of November is autumn in the prefix="st1" United States . Autumn is the season when crops are gathered. When the first European settlers in America 2 their crops, they celebrated and gave thanks for the food. They thanked God for the success of the harvest. Many people 3 to give thanks on the holiday, but it may not be for a good harvest.?xml:namespace> Tradition says Pilgrim settlers from England celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621. There is 4 that settlers in other parts of America held 5 Thanksgiving celebrations. But the Pilgrims' Thanksgiving story is the most popular. The Pilgrims were religious dissidents who fled oppression in England . They went first to the Netherlands . Then they left that country to establish a colony in North America. The Pilgrims landed in 1620 in what later became known as Plymouth, Massachusetts. Their trip 6 the Atlantic Ocean was difficult. Their first months in America were 7, too. About 100 Pilgrims landed just as autumn was turning to winter. During the cold months that followed, about half of them died. When spring came, the Pilgrims began to 8 crops. A Native American Indian named Squanto helped them. When summer ended, the Pilgrims had a good harvest of corn and barley. There was enough food to last through the winter. The Pilgrims 9 to hold a celebration to give thanks for their harvest. Writings from that time say Pilgrim leader William Bradford set a date late in the year. He invited members of a nearby Indian tribe to attend. That Thanksgiving celebration 10 three days. There were many kinds of food. The meal included wild birds such as ducks, geese and turkeys. A evidence B gathered C decided D celebrated E plant F earlier G difficult H included I lasted J across K continue L reason