Six surprising facts about the history of Thanksgiving

Many families in America will today celebrate what is believed to be a joyful feast between Pilgrims and Native Americans, though different meanings have been given to the holiday. Thanksgiving Day, for some, is a time to spend with family, give thanks and enjoy delectable recipes. Others look forward to it because it is yet another day away from the pressures of work and school.

Essentially, Thanksgiving is celebrated to give thanks for the fruits of the previous harvest. In America, the celebration dates back to 1621, when the harvest was celebrated by the Pilgrims who had sailed from England on the ship Mayflower in September 1620 and were now settlers of the Plymouth Colony in what’s now called Massachusetts.

But other accounts debunk any sort of happy feast between Pilgrims and the Native Americans at the time and rather describe the situation as white colonists who invaded a land, claimed it as their own, and slaughtered the indigenous people of the land in what is called the Pequot War between the settlers and the natives. Historians do not also agree about when the first Thanksgiving was held.

Here are six things that may surprise you about Thanksgiving: