September 16th, 1620, The Mayflower set sail to the New World, arriving in  October of 1621. Once arriving in the New World, the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower were greeted by the Wampanoag Indians. In November of 1621, the Pilgrims and Indians enjoyed a harvest lasting three days, referred to as the “First Thanksgiving.” It wasn’t until 1789 that President George Washington declared Thanksgiving a national holiday to be celebrated each year. Celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of November, Thanksgiving is sought to bring families together and dedicate time to give thanks.

Growing up in a large Catholic family, the holidays have always been a special time of year for my family and I. Every year, we gather with my mom’s side of the family for Thanksgiving dinner consisting of about 25-30 people. I’m fortunate enough to have almost all my family on my mom’s side live in Oregon so there is never a boring moment at Thanksgiving. This year, I had a different outlook on this holiday. Instead of just experiencing Thanksgiving like I normally would, I took the time to analyze the way my family members were behaving while comprehending the deeper meaning behind this holiday. I analyzed how my family members interacted with one another, reacted to the food, and their overall mood of the night while getting to hear what they had to say about it.

After looking deeper into the way I celebrate this holiday, Thanksgiving taught me that the relationship between American culture and kinship is highly influenced by holidays. Not only do holidays like Thanksgiving bring families together, but being surrounded by people who love and care about you makes you much more appreciative for what you have. I was able to see the kinship ties in American culture through my family by how we interact with one another and that American culture is very family orientated. It’s tradition to spend a holiday like Thanksgiving with your immediate family and relatives, as well as friends who are as close as family.