The Pilgrims left England in search of religious freedom and settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621 where they had the first Thanksgiving with the Native Americans to celebrate surviving their first year. In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims hosted a three-day feast to celebrate the harvest and to give thanks for surviving their first year in the New World. Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated as a national holiday where Americans gather with family and friends over a meal that includes traditional foods from the first Thanksgiving.