The official version of the history of the holiday is as follows. Thanksgiving was first celebrated in 1621 by English colonists (Puritans) living in the Plymouth Colony. The previous winter had been very harsh and hungry, and the new winter also promised little good. Then the governor decided to boost the morale of his subordinates and organized the first Thanksgiving. The holiday was jointly celebrated by British colonists and their Indian neighbors from the Wampanoag tribe, thanks to whose help the colony survived the first hungry winter. The Puritan colonists brought a deep religious meaning to this holiday - they saw it as a way to thank the Almighty for mercies and to mark the end of the harvest. However, the Puritans did not consider Thanksgiving a truly religious event - it was not mentioned in the Bible and, moreover, pagans were present.
Thanksgiving became a national holiday in the United States in 1789, and acquired official status in 1863 (at that time the Civil War was going on in the U.S. and the new holiday was intended to raise the morale of society). This holiday, like many others, has become overgrown with myths and legends. In particular, the Plymouth Colony was far from the first colony of Europeans on the territory of present-day USA. In 1526, the Spanish tried to create a settlement on the territory of present-day South Carolina, but due to conflict with the Indians they were forced to abandon the idea. In 1564, the French briefly settled in Florida (the colony was destroyed by the Spanish). Between 1565 and 1568, the Spanish built several forts in present-day South and North Carolina. Consequently, the first Americans (in the modern sense of the term) were people who spoke Spanish, not English.
It has recently been proven that Thanksgiving has a somewhat older history, and it is associated not with English-speaking but with Spanish-speaking Americans. In 1598, 23 years before the canonical holiday, it was celebrated in the town of San Elizario, which is located in present-day Texas. The initiator of the holiday was a certain Juan de Oñate, who led a group of settlers from present-day Mexico across the desert. The celebration of the successful completion of the 500-kilometer crossing became an occasion for gratitude to the Almighty.
In 1963, another predecessor of Thanksgiving was officially recognized. Two years before the Plymouth Colony, Thanksgiving was celebrated by British settlers who settled in Virginia. They celebrated the safe crossing of the Atlantic Ocean - and this day was celebrated by Virginians decades after moving to America - a condition set by the English company that sent them to the New World. However, neither the Spanish nor the Virginians invited the Indians to their celebration.
Today many historians emphasize that Thanksgiving was most likely first celebrated by American Indians, in connection with the end of the agricultural season (before the arrival of Europeans, most Indian tribes led a sedentary lifestyle and actively engaged in agriculture).
The traditional turkey that must be present on the holiday table in modern USA is also nothing more than a legend. This is written, for example, by historian James McWilliams, author of the book "The Food Revolution". The documents of the Plymouth Colony (more precisely, in the records that fill the governor's diary) contain fairly precise indications of the settlers' diet. They ate corn, apples, pears, pumpkin, potatoes, and even strawberries. The only meat dish at the holiday was venison (the Indians brought four deer carcasses as a gift). The archives are silent about turkey, and archaeological excavations have also not found turkey bones at the site of the supposed celebration (by the way, the holiday lasted four days, not one - as it does today). The pilgrims did not have forks, and they managed their food with their hands and spoons (nowadays holiday tables in American homes are set and decorated with special care). Turkey entered tradition only in the mid-19th century, primarily because these birds began to be actively bred in the United States, and turkey meat became the most accessible, including for the poor. There is another important point: all the dishes served at the legendary Thanksgiving were traditionally Indian, not European.
Historian Rick Shenkman notes that in the USA it is believed that the pilgrims in the Plymouth Colony lived in log houses reminiscent of Russian izbas. However, this is also nothing more than a myth. The Puritans built houses from boards, and log cabins appeared in America only at the end of the 18th century, this technology was brought by German and Swedish immigrants.
At traditional parades and theatrical performances held on Thanksgiving, actors portraying Puritans traditionally wear black hats, buckle shoes, and stockings. Historian James Baker, who in the mid-80s published a series of articles on the clothing of the first Americans, claims that this legend was formed only in the 19th century - then a fashion for antiquity began in the USA. The pilgrims' clothing was simple; they dressed in whatever they had. Clothing at that time was very expensive, and there was no question of maintaining a uniform style. Black and dark colors were worn exclusively on Sundays, during religious services.
Historian Jeremy Bangs notes that the pilgrims who first celebrated Thanksgiving did not give the holiday this name - it appeared later, and it is difficult to say exactly when. Most likely, Thanksgiving was celebrated not at the end of November (in the USA it is already cold, and it is very uncomfortable to have fun outdoors for a long time), but in September or early October.
The participants of the first Thanksgiving are often called pilgrims and Puritans. However, these are two different groups. Pilgrims are the legendary group of the first British settlers who arrived on the famous sailing ship "Mayflower" - they settled in the Plymouth area (and first celebrated Thanksgiving). It should be added that the representatives of persecuted Protestants in England on the Mayflower were a minority - only 35 out of 102 settlers, some of whom were hiding from justice. The Puritans arrived in America a decade later and settled near Boston. The Pilgrims mostly moved to the New World in search of a better life and for enrichment. The Puritans, persecuted in England, sought religious freedom.
The founders of Thanksgiving were, to put it mildly, not entirely noble people. The Plymouth Colony was founded on the site where an Indian village had previously stood. Its inhabitants had died out a year or two earlier due to disease, presumably brought by European sailors who had previously landed in these places. The religious settlers called the epidemic a "miracle" and "God's providence." As a result, a densely populated area became a land of the dead. That is why the chief of the weakened Wampanoag tribe befriended the settlers - he hoped to gain allies who would help him resist the pressure of neighbors less affected by disease.
Due to such military-political considerations, the Indians apparently for some time ignored the actions of the Europeans, which should have caused them indignation. Thus, white settlers systematically rummaged through abandoned Indian villages in search of food (corn and beans), since their own supplies were on the verge of exhaustion. In some cases, they simply threatened the Indians and took food by force. The Europeans even went so far as to desecrate Indian graves, from which they removed the most beautiful items. American historian James Loewen, author of the book "Lies My Teacher Told Me," ironically remarks: "The settlers thanked the Lord for his mercies, but none of them ever expressed gratitude to the robbed Indians."
Subsequently, the Wampanoag and the colonists together attacked an enemy village, and the Europeans showed such cruelty in their treatment of prisoners (burning old people, women, and children in their homes) that their allies subsequently did not dare to ask them for help. The Indians themselves did not practice total war methods - prisoners were usually incorporated into their tribe, sometimes as slaves, but more often as tribesmen of a lower status.
And a few years after the legendary holiday, the leader of the colonists cut off the head of the chief of the Wampanoag tribe.