THANKSGIVING
DAY
"Gratitude
is the sign of noble souls."
Aesop's Fables
•
Do we celebrate ‘Thanksgiving Day’ in Catalonia?
• Do we have a similar festival?
• ………..
• ………..
A
bit of history
The
Pilgrims who sailed to this country aboard the Mayflower
were originally members of the English Separatist Church (a Puritan
sect). They had earlier escaped from England and sailed to Holland (The
Netherlands) to survive religious persecution. There, they enjoyed more
religious tolerance, but they eventually became disenchanted with the
Dutch way of life, thinking it ungodly. Seeking a better life, the Separatists
negotiated with a London stock company to finance a pilgrimage to America.
Most of those making the trip aboard the Mayflower
were non-Separatists, but were hired to protect the company's interests.
Only about one-third of the original colonists were Separatists.
The
Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11,
1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of the following
fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower.
But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists
decided to celebrate with a feast -- including 91 Indians who had helped
the Pilgrims survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims
would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives.
The feast was more of a traditional English harvest festival than a
true "thanksgiving" observance. It lasted three days.
Governor William Bradford sent "four men fowling" after wild
ducks and geese. It is not certain that wild turkey was part of their
feast. However, it is certain that they had venison. The term "turkey"
was used by the Pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl.
Another
modern staple at almost every Thanksgiving table is pumpkin
pie. But it is unlikely that the first feast included that
treat. The supply of flour had been long diminished, so there was no
bread or pastries of any kind. However, they did eat boiled pumpkin,
and they produced a type of fried bread from their corn crop. There
was also no milk, cider, potatoes, or butter. There was no domestic
cattle for dairy products, and the newly-discovered potato was still
considered by many Europeans to be poisonous. But the feast did include
fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and
plums.
This "thanksgiving" feast was not repeated
the following year. But in 1623, during a severe drought, the pilgrims
gathered in a prayer service, praying for rain. When a long, steady
rain followed the very next day, Governor Bradford proclaimed another
day of Thanksgiving, again inviting their Indian friends. It wasn't
until June of 1676 that another Day of Thanksgiving was proclaimed.
On June 20, 1676, the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts,
held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good
fortune that had seen their community securely established. By unanimous
vote they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29 as
a day of thanksgiving. It is notable that this thanksgiving celebration
probably did not include the Indians, as the celebration was meant partly
to be in recognition of the colonists' recent victory over the "heathen
natives."
October of 1777 marked the first time that all 13 colonies joined in
a thanksgiving celebration. It also commemorated the
patriotic victory over the British at Saratoga. But it was a one-time
affair.
George Washington proclaimed a National Day
of Thanksgiving in 1789, although some were opposed
to it. There was discord among the colonies, many feeling the hardships
of a few Pilgrims did not warrant a national holiday. And later, President
Thomas Jefferson scoffed at the idea of having a day of thanksgiving.
It was Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually
led to what we recognize as Thanksgiving. Hale wrote many editorials
championing her cause in her Boston Ladies' Magazine, and later, in
Godey's Lady's Book.
Finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters
to governors and presidents, Hale's obsession became a reality when,
in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday
in November as a national day of Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving was proclaimed by every president after Lincoln. The date
was changed a couple of times, most recently by Franklin Roosevelt,
who set it up one week to the next-to-last Thursday in order to create
a longer Christmas shopping season. Public uproar against this decision
caused the president to move Thanksgiving back to its original date
two years later.
And in 1941, Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal
holiday, as the fourth Thursday in November.
(adapted
from http://www.fumcaustin.org/esl/culture/culture_thanksgiving.htm)
ACTIVITY
After
reading this text, you can try this QUIZ
?