A little bit about Thanksgiving in America
Thanksgiving was originally founded as a religious observance among
many regions and religions around the world, but in this country it naturally dates
back to colonial times. On this day, near the end of harvest time, members of
the community would give prayers of thanks for the blessing of the harvests
received in these special Thanksgiving ceremonies.
Early traditions of Thanksgiving migrated with early settlers
from Europe and merged with Native Americans celebrations. In 1621, the
Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is
acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the
colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by
individual colonies and states in their own individual ways and it wasn't until
1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed
a national ‘Thanksgiving Day’ to be held and celebrated on the final Thursday each November.
In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided
to break with this tradition. November had five Thursdays that year
(instead of the more-common four), and he declared the fourth Thursday as
Thanksgiving rather than the fifth one. His plan was to establish this holiday
on the next-to-last Thursday in November from then on. However, Roosevelt's
change was widely disregarded by numerous states and they continued to celebrate
Thanksgiving on the traditional last Thursday of November. Even after it was signed into federal law, in December
1941, which fixed the date of Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday of November,
a few states continued to celebrate this holiday as they had been, until as
late as 1956.
In the US, we are used to serving certain
traditional food at Thanksgiving meals. Baked or roasted turkey is usually the
main item on most Thanksgiving tables, so much so that Thanksgiving is also
often called "Turkey Day" .
Long time favorites such as stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, yams, cranberry
sauce, sweet corn, and various fall vegetables such as squashes, . . . and off
course . . . pumpkin pie, is rarely missing from a American Thanksgiving
dinner. Surprisingly enough to me, according to history, all of these foods
with the possible exception of turkey were actually native to the Americas at
the time and they were introduced to the settlers when they arrived. Yum . . . Yum.
What a treat !
Thanksgiving Day has become an entrenched national
tradition in this country, celebrated by most. It is a time when we give thanks
for everything good in our lives, when we give thanks for all of our blessings
throughout the year, including the bountiful harvest that allows us to fill our
tables with delicious and plentiful foods while gathered in celebration with
people we cherish most in our lives. But let us also remember that it is also a
time to share the bounty of our good fortune with people who are less fortunate
than us and who are in need of our help. May we all find plenty to be grateful
for and enjoy a day filled with blessings of peace and joy . . . great food and
even greater company.
Happy Turkey Day !
