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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