Thanksgiving’s meaning has evolved and is now meant to express your love and gratitude towards family or friends. One thing that has stuck is the saying that Thanksgiving is for giving thanks and appreciation towards things that should be thought about but don’t get much thought about because of the American privilege. Most people celebrating Thanksgiving don’t know where it comes from or its original meaning but celebrate with a feast, thank you cards, and family time.

Thanksgiving’s original meaning was for “days of prayer for such blessings as safe journeys, military victories, or abundant harvests”.The first Thanksgiving was in 1921 after the first harvest and was celebrated by the pilgrims with the Wampanoag tribe. They celebrated a lot for instance the light rain that ended a long drought and when their labors were rewarded with a bountiful harvest after a year of sickness and scarcity, the Pilgrims gave thanks to God and declared it thanksgiving, and thanksgiving was for days of prayer for such blessings as safe journeys, military victories, and/or abundant harvests.

They had Thanksgiving deer, turkey, fruits and vegetables, fish and shellfish, potatoes, and pumpkin pie. The colonists were expected to be outnumbered more than two to one by the Native Americans in attendance, yet Massasoit sent some of his own men to hunt deer for the feast. For three days, the pilgrims and native men, women, and children ate together.

In conclusion the Thanksgiving we know and love now does not have much of a different actual meaning than the new generation has grown up to believe different things play a part in the first Thanksgiving, but the meaning of thanks and the whole aspect of it has not changed clearly. Americans have just forgotten the whole story but not the meaning of Thanksgiving which is to thank god for all of the blessings he has given us and the tragedies he has gotten us through. Non-religious people may not celebrate it but the ones who do tend to go toward being grateful for random acts happening in their favor and or family, while Christians would much rather celebrate all including God.