By: Heather Thompson
I’ve seen a lot of talk online about giving Thanksgiving it’s due and “how dare the Christmas lovers encroach on such a sacred holiday!” Well, I’m a Christmas lover and I will encroach on the Fourth of July if it means I can listen to Christmas music, so sue me!
However, given that the Thanksgiving gang is so passionate about their position I thought I would do a little research and see what I could dig up about this holiday that I didn’t know before. So, buckle up buttercup!
Thanksgiving is a holiday that spans cultures, religions, centuries and people groups. History shows days of thanks through feasting and fasting in places like the colonies, Egypt, Greece and Rome. In fact, days of thanksgiving look very similar to the Jewish harvest of Sukkot. Sukkot is a weeklong celebration where Israel gathers their harvest and commemorates the protection from God when He led them out of Egypt; this feast usually takes place in October, at the end of the growing season.
When the Pilgrims made their way to what is now called Massachusetts Bay, they stayed on board the ship during that first winter which claimed the lives of half the passengers. When the spring rolled around in 1621, those who survived went ashore to start their life in the new world.
Many stories from childhood history class talk about Squanto and his great contribution to the Pilgrims success and survival, but what I didn’t know was that the settlers were actually met by a different Native American from the Abenaki tribe who also spoke English, as Squanto did. In fact, this Abenaki tribesman is who brought Squanto to the Pilgrims.
Now, we all know the story of Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe, who showed the settlers food that grows in the land, what plants are poisonous and how to tap trees for sap. Quite honestly, we would not be here if it were not for Squanto – a man who was kidnapped and enslaved by the English before finally returning home. The fact that he had the kindness in his heart to welcome the settlers is a true testament to what forgiveness can do for the soul.
After a successful harvest in 1621, the Pilgrims wanted to celebrate their success with a feast of thanks – that ended up lasting for three days – and they invited the Wampanoag tribe to join them which proves that the white man didn’t walk into the new world killing every Native American they came in contact with.
As for the food, well, there is no record of what they ate, but the History Channel did pull out this gem from Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow:
“Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.”
The second Thanksgiving didn’t take place until 1623, and the Governor William Bradford actually called for a fast before the feast to give thanks to God for His provision; this became a common practice in other New England settlements as the colonies continued to establish themselves.
Throughout the decades, Thanksgiving days were common and the Continental Congress called for two during the American Revolution. In 1789, George Washington issued the very first Thanksgiving proclamation by the newly formed national government of the United States telling the citizens of the free colonies to express gratitude for the end of the war and their independence from Great Britain.
Other times in history, presidents and leaders called for national days of Thanksgiving before it became a permanent holiday during the Civil War. In 1827, magazine editor and writer Sarah Josepha Hale – the author of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” – started her 36-year campaign for Thanksgiving to become a national holiday and in 1863, at the height of the Civil War, President Lincoln gave in to her request.
Thanksgiving isn’t just a day off from work to eat ourselves into a stupor, the very foundation of the day is to humble ourselves toward one another, and God, to give thanks for what we have. We’ve gotten away from what this day is supposed to be about, and we’ve made it into a selfish, egocentric holiday surrounded by consumerism and gluttony.
While you’re sitting at the table this year, remember that in 1621, only half of the original 102 settlers were alive to give thanks to God for His blessing, abundance and freedom – and without their perseverance, courage and faith we wouldn’t have the freedom that we do today.
