Happy Thanksgiving!

Today Americans celebrate their heritage with a day of feasting and reflection, honouring the moment the Pilgrim Fathers sat down with the Wampanoag Indians in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on 22 November 1621 to celebrate a successful harvest.

That “First Thanksgiving” was made possible by the Native Americans offering invaluable advice on crop cultivation ahead of the harsh winter to come and was cheered with a banquet of waterfowl, wild turkeys, venison, ham, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin and squash.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York Show all 15 1 /15 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York Performers walk in front of Macy's Tom Turkey float in the Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York AP Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York The Ronald McDonald balloon is inflated Getty Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York Sinclair's DINO balloon flies as the parade passes down 6th Avenue Reuters Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York An NYPD officer stands by AP Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York The Charlie Brown balloon flies in the parade Reuters Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York A marching band takes part in the parade Reuters Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York A balloon flies in the parade Reuters Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York A performer in the parade AP Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York The Ronald McDonald balloon flies in the parade AP Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York A clown performs in the parade Reuters Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York The Olaf balloon is inflated Getty Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York Flag wavers take part in the parade Reuters Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York Clowns on roller blades perform in the parade Reuters Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York The Charlie Brown balloon is inflated Getty Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York The Tom Turkey float is in place to start the parade Reuters

While the turkey may now have taken precedence (around 46m are slaughtered for the event every year) and seafood is seldom served, the menu has hardly changed four centuries later.

Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a national holiday every year since 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it so at the height of the Civil War.

The president has, somewhat predictably, jetted out to Mar-a-Lago in Florida for golf before the resort lays on a 24-dish dinner, with a three-decker chocolate cake among the desserts on offer.

Around the country, millions will be sitting down to traditional fare, typically enjoying their roast with mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and, of course, pumpkin pie.

Today's football fixtures see the Detroit Lions take on the Chicago Bears, the Washington Redskins versus the Dallas Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons versus the New Orleans Saints, the latter among the favourites for the Super Bowl.

Another major attraction of the day is the spectacular Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, ideal pre-lunch viewing for those already growing sick of their overbearing relatives.

Known for its giant balloons of beloved cartoon characters, the pageant has been run by the 34th Street department store since 1924 and is this year taking place with -3 temperatures and Arctic winds forecast, so viewers lining the Manhattan sidewalks are advised to wrap up warm.

All of this provides a day of grace before the mania of Black Friday, when stores across the country throw open their doors at midnight to allow crazed shoppers to hunt for bargains as the Christmas shopping season kicks off in earnest.

It should also be said that, for Native Americans, Thanksgiving is a day of national mourning, an occasion to remember in sorrow the devastating impact of the European colonists on their civilisation and culture and those killed in the brutal conquest of the “New World”.

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Every year since 1970, the United American Indians of New England have organised a march to Cole’s Hill near Plymouth Rock on this day in tribute to their ancestors.