Thanksgiving is right around the corner and a great way to celebrate it is to be around a table with family and friends, chowing down on some good mashed potatoes. But what if I told you that Thanksgiving had a secret story behind it, a story that not many people know about?

Thanksgiving is a holiday that usually involves spending time with family and friends and talking about the things you are thankful for, plus the Thanksgiving dinner. 

According to harvardgrace.com, Thanksgiving was first celebrated when “The Continental Congress declared the first national American Thanksgiving following the Patriot victory at Saratoga.” After that, George Washington declared it an official holiday, and later, Abraham Lincoln declared the date to be on the last Thursday of November.

But what lots of people don’t know is that there is a dark story behind Thanksgiving. The truth is that on Thanksgiving Day, there was a great massacre. According to huffpost.com, it says that “Armed settlers […] invaded a Pequot village [….] They also set the village, which included many children, on fire [….] Those who were lucky enough to escape the fire were systematically sought, hunted down and killed.”

The reason why Thanksgiving was seen as a holiday was that the settlers saw the massacre at Pequot village as a victory and so did the Continental Congress.

Even though Thanksgiving was based on a horrible incident, it doesn’t stop people from celebrating it in a good way. “I love it! It’s my favorite holiday because instead of giving people things like presents or candy, you can spend a meal with your family,” said senior Alex Foden.

On the flip side, some people can’t celebrate the holiday because they may not have enough people to celebrate it with them. “As someone who doesn’t have a big family, it makes me sad that I can’t have all the fun others have during this holiday,” said Senior Brianna Robles.

The true story behind Thanksgiving is very sad but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t celebrate it for a different reason. Thanksgiving can still be a holiday about celebrating each other and being grateful for everyone you know and love. 

It’s an interesting thing to know about a holiday that people enjoy. So this upcoming holiday, wouldn’t it be nice to tell your family and friends about the true meaning of Thanksgiving?