Every year about 270 million turkeys, 572 million pounds of cranberries and 831 million pounds of pumpkins pass through supermarket checkout counters across America during the last week of November. They are destined for the Thanksgiving table, on a day when Americans express gratitude for their abundance of goods and blessings. The feast of Thanksgiving traces its roots to the 17 th century Pilgrims, who were grateful to have enough to survive.

In the harsh winter of 1620, many of the Pilgrims died of starvation and disease. They had no flour for baked goods and no cows for milk or butter. But they did manage to grow pumpkins and corn with guidance from the Native Americans of Plymouth. During the following autumn harvest, the Pilgrims invited those Native Americans to join them as they honored God for his goodness, at what was the first Thanksgiving feast.

Today people in the US may not be starving, but they still join family and friends for the annual ritual of the Thanksgiving feast.

The timeless message of gratitude meant that what started as a three-day feast to celebrate a colony’s good fortune, would endure. Thanksgiving was proclaimed a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, and has been celebrated across America ever since.

The Internet is stuffed with over five million sites spiced with Thanksgiving tales, historical reviews, recipes, interactive games and gift ideas. But the geography of Thanksgiving is not limited to cyberspace: According to the US Bureau of the Census, there are three places in the US named after the holiday’s tasty gobbler—the turkey—and eight places are called “Cranberry” or some variation of it.

The American College of Greece holds its Thanksgiving dinner in the Pierce College gym every year.

Nancy Parkes, Dean of Students at Deree College, said “Thanksgiving today is a chance for all of us to think about our blessings: about our families, our jobs, the School”

“It is also a chance to celebrate an important American holiday,” says Dean Parks. “It is a very big event, and very traditional. Over 500 people attend every year and it is an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to get together and enjoy a good meal.”