This year I was talking to a Swiss friend and I was mildly surprised that they do not have an equivalent holiday.
After talking to another friend from Guatemala, I think I understand more why this is such an American holiday.
The original feast was in thanksgiving for a good harvest, but it was also in thanksgiving for the native people who had saved their lives in a peaceful cultural exchange.
Has America always lived up to that hopeful encounter? No! But the American dream is that people from all over the world can come here and that the peaceful exchange of knowledge in an atmosphere of good will can enrich us all.
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