The Pilgrims held a three day feast in 1621 to thank the Native Americans who helped them survive their first year in Plymouth colony. Only about half of the 100 Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620 were still alive after a difficult first winter where they faced sickness, hunger, and hardship due to their lack of experience farming in a new land. The Native Americans taught the Pilgrims important skills for surviving and the feast was to celebrate the Pilgrims' first successful harvest and show gratitude to the Wampanoag people who had assisted them. This feast is now celebrated as the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.