Thanksgiving is a very significant holiday in America. However, those not from America may need it to be explained to them. For instance, while the Five Elements were glad to feasting on this day, they weren't quite sure what they were celebrating. But Shuixing's special guest, Nate Bowman was able to give them a brief lesson as to what the holiday was about.
"You see, the first settlers in the United States were pilgrims from England who were looking for a new land to live in," said Nate.
"Why did they leave England?" asked Huoxing.
"Religious differences. Not quite sure what they all were," said Nate.
"I think I can get that," said Muxing.
"Anyways, these pilgrims weren't really prepared for life in the New World. The seeds that they had brought with them wouldn't grow and they could barely set up their houses before the winter came," said Nate, "There were several pilgrims who didn't make it through the first year and it could have been all of them."
"So how did they survive?" asked Tuxing.
"They had help from the Native Americans," said Nate, "Particularly one Indian named Squanto."
"Why do you call them Indians, anyways?" asked Shuixing, "They're not like the people of India."
"When Christopher Columbus found the New World, he first thought he had sailed to the East Indies. He called the natives Indians and the name stuck," said Nate.
"I think a lot of American things have gotten their names because no one bothered to rename them," said Jinxing.
"Anyways, Squanto taught the pilgrims how to farm the crops found here, which they wouldn't have been able to do by themselves," said Nate.
"What did they grow?" asked Muxing.
"Corn, mostly," said Nate, "And after they managed to bring in a successful crop, they had a big harvest feast that the Native Americans also took part in. From that, a tradition was soon born to have a feast at the end of harvest season and showing thankfulness for what you have."
"Oh, like the Mid-Autumn Festival," said Tuxing, "We also celebrate the harvest and show gratitude for what we have."
"Though that's in September and probably has a lot of differences," said Jinxing.
"I think I can get behind the feasting idea of this holiday," said Houxing. As the only omnivorous member of the Five Elements, she could partake in a lot more different foods than her sisters. Not that the meat selections were unappealing for Tuxing, Jinxing, and Muxing and Shuixing liked the different vegetables here.
"I think we can definitely show our gratitude," said Liao, "Our lives are a lot better than they were before Animalia."
"That is definitely something to be grateful for," said Muxing.