Public holidays Unit 2 We have celebrated the festival since the first pioneers arrived in America. Reading and vocabulary Work in pairs. Talk about the picture. Read the passage and match the headings with the paragraphs. A special dinner An American festival The history of the festival Things to do during the festival Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is an American festival. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. It is a time for a special dinner among family and friends. People make short speeches and give thanks for their food. We have celebrated the festival since the first pioneers from England arrived in America by ship in the seventeenth century. While they were crossing the Atlantic, many people died, and after they landed, their first winter was worse than any English winter. The local people, the Native Americans, taught the pioneers how to grow corn. The following year they celebrated together by eating a dinner of the new food. We still celebrate Thanksgiving today with a traditional dinner. The kitchen is always the most crowded room in our house because we all help prepare the food. We lay the table, and then before we begin dinner, my father gives thanks for the food, so we remember why we celebrate the festival. We usually eat too much, but it is only once a year! We often talk a lot and tell stories after dinner as well. When it is all over, everyone helps wash the dishes. The festival is a very busy time for travel when friends and families come together to celebrate. During the festival, there are plenty of other things to see and do. We live in New York City, and we go to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade goes along several streets and finishes at the famous Macy's store. Thanksgiving is the start of the Christmas season, and we start shopping for presents. Football is also important at Thanksgiving, with many teams playing games. Like many Americans, we usually watch the games on television and enjoy ourselves very much.