Dr. Ann-Lee: Welcome to another history discussion about celebrations in modern society, today we have some questions that I’d like to answer before we move on to the next topic. This question is from Susan, and she asks:

"Dr. Ann-Lee, how is a day with the Pilgrims like?"

This is a very interesting question, Susan. Pilgrims are English settlers that come from England to a far shore in a new continent. They protest on religious issues in England and they leave the island to find what they don’t find in the UK: freedom of religion.

Let’s pass to another question, this is from Ms. Romo:

"How is a Thanksgiving celebration in 1621?"

Well, it’s a very nice celebration, people sit in front of each other, they talk about any matters and they eat what they are served. Native Americans share their harvest with the Pilgrims, and the Pilgrims do the same for them.

A final question is this, by Mr. George Lincoln:

"How can Squanto speak English if there are no Pilgrims before 1620?"

That’s another good question. Squanto is a Native American that is captured by English explorer John Smith in 1614 or 1615. He is a slave and he needs to learn English. Squanto arrives in England, but he escapes and returns home. When the Pilgrims arrive, he helps them as an interpreter with his people. These three questions are just the beginning of our topic for today’s podcast, we have some announcements and we’ll be right back.