Ask Howard: What is Thanksgiving Day?

Howard Elston, our  US correspondent is travelling in the States learning more about our American cousins. Today, he answers your vital questions:

Q:   Tomorrow is Thanksgiving  Day throughout the US. Besides allowing Yanks the opportunity to get even fatter, what does it signify, asks Sarah from Doncaster.

A: The feast goes back to 1621 when Pilgrims thanked native Indians in what is now Massachusetts for helping them survive the first  years of their nascent colony by teaching them about harvesting and growing crops. After their hearty repaste, the colonists began the arduous task of killing off their helpers for the next 250 years.

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