Tuesday, November 25, 2014

A Roasted Turkey Is A Fixture ---- But, Have Other Things About Thanksgiving Day Been Evolving?

In 1621, the Pilgrims celebrated after their first harvest in the New World, and some Americans call this the "First Thanksgiving."  Wikipedia tells us that the first Thanksgiving feast was held at the Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts, lasted three days, and was attended by 53 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans.

Squanto, a Patuxet Native American who resided with the Wampanoag tribe, was one of the guests. He had taught the Pilgrims how to catch eel and grow corn, and served as an interpreter for them. Squanto had learned English while being taken around Europe as a curiosity and during travels in England.  In addition, the Wampanoag leader Massasoit donated food stores to the fledgling colony during the first winter when supplies brought from England were insufficient.

It was already an established practice in Europe to hold feasts celebrating such blessings as a military victory, the end of a drought, or a successful harvest.  For some, it was probably seen as a religious event, for others it was perhaps a time to let off steam and "party."

The Pilgrims held another Thanksgiving celebration on July 30, 1623, after a long and nearly catastrophic drought ended with a refreshing 14-day rain, and assured a large harvest.  This 1623 Thanksgiving was significant because the order to recognize the event was from the Plymouth Colony's Governor William Bradford (a civil authority) and not from the church, making it likely to be the first civil recognition of Thanksgiving in New England.

Wikipedia continues: "Irregular thanksgivings continued after favorable events, and days of fasting after unfavorable ones.  In the Plymouth tradition, a thanksgiving day was primarily a church observance, rather than a feast day.  But such thanksgiving days would have a civil observance linked to the religious one, as in 1623.  Gradually, an annual Thanksgiving after the harvest, developed in the mid-17th century.  This did not occur on any set day or necessarily on the same day in different colonies in America."

Then, in the middle of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day, to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November, 1863, "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficial Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."  Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been observed annually throughout the United States.

But in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the traditional celebration date from the last Thursday in November.  In 1939, November had five Thursdays (instead of the usual four), and Roosevelt declared the fourth Thursday as Thanksgiving Day rather than the last one.  With the country still in the midst of The Great Depression, Roosevelt thought an earlier Thanksgiving would give merchants a longer period to sell goods before Christmas, helping the economy recover from the Depression.

Over the years, a number of traditions have grown up around Thanksgiving, that have no relationship to the event's early religious and civil intention.  For most Americans who celebrate with a Thanksgiving feast, a roasted turkey is the center of attraction on the dinner table. Perhaps it was back in the era of President Harry Truman when the annual practice began for the President to "pardon" a live turkey, who would thus escape "capital punishment" and thereafter live out it's days on a nearby, peaceful farm.

In addition, many high school and college football teams will play their final games of the season on Thanksgiving Day or on the days immediately following.  This is facilitated by the common practice of employers to give workers as much as a four-day weekend.  Also, for many children, the big event of the weekend will be the annual Thanksgiving Day parade televised from New York City --- but with much more emphasis on entertainment than on thankfulness for the year's bounty.

For many religiously-inclined Americans, the annual Thanksgiving celebration reminds us once again to thank God for the rich bounty we find in our lives, whether material or spiritual.  But many of us do say such prayers of thanks throughout the year.  So, for such folks, perhaps the really unique gift of Thanksgiving is the strong sense of community with others, which it fosters.

The "community" around the Thanksgiving dinner table may be family, neighbors or just good friends ---- but, at this time of the year we make a real effort to be there, even if we need to fly in from a distant place.  Young and old gather.  The aroma and food delicacies create relaxed conversation and sweet recollections of people and times from the past.  In our very mobile and digitized America, has Thanksgiving Day reinvented itself yet again ---- morphing into an annual, not-to-be-missed day of COMMUNITY?

Think about the "First Thanksgiving" in 1621, where the Native American guests outnumbered the Pilgrims nearly two to one.  The Pilgrims were not just celebrating and thanking God for their bounty ---- they were recognizing that "community" with others had truly enriched their lives.  Isn't that true for us today?  While the publicly-stated purpose of Thanksgiving has not changed, it would seem appropriate to equally acknowledge the gift of community with others, that the Pilgrims could see from the very beginning.

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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage you to pursue some personal spiritual growth this fall at CPC.
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