So it is
Thanksgiving again. A time when
people say we give thanks. Thanks
in what manner I ask?
While most Americans think of the Pilgrims as celebrating the first
Thanksgiving in America, there are some claims that others in the New World
should be recognized as first. For example, in Texas there is a marker that
says, "Feast of the First Thanksgiving – 1541." But who knows if the marker is correct
and not placed only for marketing?
The date of what is typically recognized, as the first Thanksgiving is
not precisely known either. Most
early documents state it occurred between September 21 and November 9, 1621.
The Plymouth Pilgrims dined with the Wampanoag Indians for the first
Thanksgiving in that period. There
are reports that the First Thanksgiving lasted for three days?
Edward Winslow, a supposed participant in the
first Thanksgiving (1621), wrote the feast consisted of corn, barley, fowl
including wild turkeys and waterfowl, and venison with 52 Pilgrims
attending. The first Thanksgiving supposedly
included John Alden, William Bradford, Priscilla Mullins, and Miles Standish.
Some say approximately 50 Native Americans attended the first Thanksgiving
including Massasoit and Squanto - the Pilgrim's translator.
Some believe the first Thanksgiving was actually
a secular event that was not repeated. A Calvinist Thanksgiving is actually documented
in 1623 and did not involve sharing food with the Native Americans.
The first National Thanksgiving celebration
was declared in 1775 by the Continental Congress. This was to celebrate the win
at Saratoga during the American Revolution. This was not an annual event.
In 1863, two national days of
Thanksgiving were declared: One celebrated the Union victory at the Battle of
Gettysburg and the other began the Thanksgiving holiday we still celebrate today.
After getting these fragmented facts off the interent, I
still do not have the answer I am looking for in what is Thanksgiving? It is more of a commercialized
event? Is it the day we all
celebrate as we have the chance to buy what we do not need at a discount the
day after?
I think the generally accepted Thanksgiving is seen as a
time to get together with loved ones, eat a ridiculously large amount of food,
watch some football, and of course give thanks for all the blessings in our
lives. Many homes will be decorated with horns of plenty, dried corn, and other
'symbols' of Thanksgiving. Schoolchildren across America will 'reenact'
Thanksgiving by dressing as either pilgrims or Wampanoag Indians and sharing a
meal of some sort. All of this is wonderful for helping create a sense of family,
national identity, and of course remembering to say thanks at least once a
year. However, as with many other holidays and events in American History, many
of these commonly believed traditions about the origins and celebration of this
holiday are based more on myth than fact. Let's look at the truth behind our
celebration of Thanksgiving.
And as an afterthought, maybe the Indian movement who
think the North Dakota Sioux need to change their name will there soon be a
protest of little 3rd graders dressing like Indians for a
reenactment? So I am thankful for
so much, but I am also distressed by more.
Happy Holidays and Carry on!
