| Thanksgiving
Day , legal holiday in the U.S., first
celebrated in early colonial times in
New England. The actual origin,
however, is probably the harvest
festivals that are traditional in many
parts of the world Festivals and
Feasts. After the first harvest was
completed by the Plymouth colonists in
1621, Governor William Bradford
proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and
prayer, shared by all the colonists
and neighboring Native Americans. The
Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock held their
Thanksgiving in 1621 as a three day
"thank you" celebration to
the leaders of the Wampanoag Indian
tribe and their families for teaching
them the survival skills they needed
to make it in the New World. It was
their good fortune that the tradition
of the Wampanoags was to treat any
visitor to their homes with a share of
whatever food the family had, even if
supplies were low. It was also an
amazing stroke of luck that one of the
Wampanoag, Tisquantum or Squanto, had
become close friends with a British
explorer, John Weymouth, and had
learned the Pilgrim's language in his
travels to England with Weymouth.
After
the first New England Thanksgiving the
custom spread throughout the colonies,
but each region chose its own date. In
1789 George Washington, the first
president of the United States,
proclaimed November 26 a day of
Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving day continued to be
celebrated in the United States on
different days in different states
until Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale, editor
of Godey's Lady's Book, decided to do
something about it. For more than 30
years she wrote letters to the
governors and presidents asking them
to make Thanksgiving Day a national
holiday.
Finally, in 1863, President Lincoln
issued a White House proclamation
calling on the "whole American
people" wherever they lived to
unite "with one heart and one
voice" in observing a special day
of thanksgiving. Setting apart the
last Thursday of November for the
purpose, the President urged prayers
in the churches and in the homes to
"implore the interposition of the
almighty had to heal the wounds of the
nations and to restore it...to full
enjoyment of peace, harmony,
tranquility and union." He also
states that they express heartfelt
thanks for the "blessing of
fruitful fields and healthful
skies."
In 1939 President Franklin D.
Roosevelt advanced Thanksgiving Day
one week. However, since some states
used the new date and others the old,
it was changed again 2 years later.
Thanksgiving Day is now celebrated on
the fourth Thursday in November.
The first formal celebration of
Thanksgiving in North America was held
by an English explorer, Martin
Frobisher, who attempted to establish
an English settlement on Baffin
Island, after failing to discover a
northern passage to the Orient in
1576. Canada established the second
Monday in October as a national
holiday, "a day of general
thanksgiving," in 1957.
In 1817 New York State adopted
Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom.
By the middle of the 19th century many
other states also celebrated a
Thanksgiving Day. In 1863 President
Abraham Lincoln appointed a national
day of thanksgiving. Since then each
president has issued a Thanksgiving
Day proclamation, usually designating
the fourth Thursday of each November
as the holiday.
The
turkey tradition was really pushed by
Benjamin Franklin, who wanted to make
it the United States national symbol
because it is a quick runner, wary,
with sharp eyesight, and exhibited a
regal stance, at least to Franklin.
While the bald eagle nudged out the
wild turkey for our official national
symbol, Norman Rockwell has probably
made the image of the family
Thanksgiving turkey even more famous,
and certainly more mouth watering.
| Tradition |
The
American traditions of
Thanksgiving revolve around
a huge and lavish meal,
usually with Turkey as the
centerpiece. For those who
do not like Turkey, a Roast
or Prime Rib is common. As
tradition has it in most
families, a special prayer
of thanks precedes the meal.
In many homes, family
members will each mention
something they are very
thankful for.
Thanksgiving is a time for
families to create
traditions and memories that
last a lifetime. |
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Rumela Recommended Links |
|
Netglimse - Happy
Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving
Greetings, Recipes, Mayflower
Myths, Ecards |
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