First, let`s get to know about origins of Thanksgiving Day. This holiday harks back to the depth of American history – to the very first settlers from Great Britain, who reached America in 1620. After difficult and exhausting journey through the stormy ocean, they made a landing in the area of modern Massachusetts on a cold November day.

Those settlers who had survived long severe winter established a colony and started to cultivate land and to grow edible plants. Undoubtedly, they could not have done that without local Indians, who decided to help settlers to get used to local conditions and gave them useful advice on farming. Rich harvest became a reward for hard joint work of Indians and settlers, and the governor of colonists decided to hold a celebratory dinner to thank the Lord for that. In November 1621, he invited tribe`s king and 90 other Indians to have a meal together with settlers. This dinner became the first Thanksgiving Day celebrated in history. 
Nowadays, on Thanksgiving Day modern Americans prefer to eat the same food as their ancestors in 1621: stuffed turkey with cranberry sauce and sweet pumpkin pie.
Thanksgiving Day is not officially celebrated in Kyiv and in Ukraine in general. However, you may always find few local events dedicated to this well-known holiday. For example, America House in Kyiv holds Thanksgiving 2017 celebration on November 22. This time the heartwarming holiday in America House is held in collaboration with the Embassy’s Regional English Language Office, which means that there will be a great opportunity to express gratitude, talk about holiday traditions with guests from the USA, eat delicious traditional food and enjoy friendly and cozy atmosphere. Prior registration is required.

When: November 22, 18:30
Where: 6, Mykoly Pymonenka street
If you want to have an elegant and luxury Thanksgiving Day, you may choose celebration at Va Bene restaurant in Kyiv. Va Bene Bistro Italian restaurant, which belongs to Carte Blanche chain of restaurants, is located in the center of Kyiv opposite to the National Opera. On November 21, Va Bene invites everyone interested to take part in Thanksgiving celebration, where you will have a chance to taste Italian variation of traditional Thanksgiving dishes with perfectly matching wines, listening to the magical sound of live piano.
Deposit for one person is UAH 1000.

When: November 21, 19:00
Where: 19-21, Khmelnytskogo street
Celebrating Thanksgiving Day at home and cooking traditional dinner on your own is also a brilliant decision. In such a way, you will feel true warmth of family atmosphere. However, to do so, you need to know where to buy a whole turkey in Kyiv. It is recommended to look for it in Le Silpo market (4, Baseyna street) or on open-air Kyiv markets such as Bessarabsky (2, Bessarabska square), Zhitniy (16, Verkhniy Val street) or Volodymyrsky (115, Antonovycha street).

We wish you a great Thanksgiving Day 2017 in Kyiv!
Photo source: shutterstock.com, websites of events mentioned above. All photos belong to their rightful owners.