In this place however, these separatists from the Church of England commonly called as pilgrims, were not able to survive the devastating winter that happened in that year. 46 of the total pilgrims had already died and only 66 were left to survive on any edible thing they could find. It was then that the native Indians came to their support. In order to make possible their survival, these pilgrims were taught how to cultivate crops and harvest them.

This helped them a lot in their survival and they were able to get settled in the New World. Even in spite of the severe drought that occurred in 1620, they were able to save their crop and start a new life in the Americas. It was the celebration of this survival that was done in the form of the first thanksgiving meal that led to the origin of American thanksgiving. A heart meal with numerous dishes was laid out and the pilgrims also invited the native Indians for this celebration. This laid the foundation for the present day American thanksgiving.