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.
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."
One of the guests at the
Pilgrim's feast was Squanto, a Patuxet Native American who resided with the
Wampanoag Tribe, 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.
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.
"In the years
following," 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 be
a civil observation 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 the 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 merchandise 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 year we make a real effort to be there, even
if we need to fly 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?
Perhaps not ---- think about
the first Thanksgiving in 1621. The Native American guests outnumbered
the Pilgrims nearly two to one. The Pilgrims were not just celebrating a
good harvest and thanking God for their bounty ---- they were also recognizing
that community with others had truly enriched their lives.
Isn't that also true for us
today? While the expression of thankfulness for our many blessings has
not changed, it seems appropriate to also acknowledge the continuing gift of
community with others. After all, the Pilgrims recognized this blessing
from the very beginning!
______________________________________________________________________
These thoughts are brought
to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage your
pursuit of person spiritual growth this fall at CPC.
______________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment