Short history of Thanksgiving Day

By Vlad BUDCHENKO and Anna ATAMAS, November 2009

The First Thanksgiving

This holiday has a long history, which started in 1620 when a Protestant religious group known today as ‘Pilgrims’ arrived in the New World on board of the ship called Mayflower, and settled in what is now known as the state of Massachusetts. Their first winter in America was full of hardship and drama. They arrived too late to farm the land, so they starved. Half of the colony died from disease. The following spring the local tribe of Native Americans taught them how to grow corn and other crops. They also helped them to hunt and fish. In the autumn of 1621 the Pilgrims got a rich harvest of corn, barley, beans, pumpkin and other vegetables. The first Thanksgiving was held in the fall of 1621, sometime between September 21 and November 11, and was a three-day feast. The Pilgrims were joined by approximately 90 of the local Wampanoag tribe, including Chief Massasoit, in celebration. They ate berries, fish, clams, plums, and boiled pumpkin. Of course, prior to dining they praised the Lord, and thanked Him for all the food and wealth He gave them. This is how the festivity got started.

EarlyThanksgivings

Though the current holiday of Thanksgiving was based on the 1621 feast, it did not immediately become an annual celebration or holiday. Sporadic days of Thanksgiving followed, usually declared locally to give thanks for a specific event such as the end of a drought, victory in a specific battle, or after a harvest.

It wasn't until October 1777 that all 13 colonies celebrated a day of Thanksgiving. The very first national day of Thanksgiving was held in 1789, when President George Washington proclaimed Thursday, November 26 to be "a day of public thanksgiving and prayer," to give thanks for the opportunity to form a new nation and the establishment of a new constitution.

However, even after a national day of Thanksgiving was declared in 1789, Thanksgiving did not become an annual celebration.

Setting the Date

On October 3, 1863, US President Abraham Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving Proclamation that declared the last Thursday in November (based on Washington's date) to be a day of "thanksgiving and praise." For the first time, Thanksgiving became a national, annual holiday with a specific date.

For 75 years after Lincoln issued his Thanksgiving Proclamation, succeeding presidents honored the tradition and annually issued their own Thanksgiving Proclamation, declaring the last Thursday in November as the day of Thanksgiving. However, in 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (known as FDR) did not. In 1939, the last Thursday of November was going to be November 30. Retailers complained to FDR that this only left 24 shopping days to Christmas and begged him to push Thanksgiving just one week earlier. It was determined that most people do their Christmas shopping after Thanksgiving and retailers hoped that with an extra week of shopping, people would buy more.

So when FDR announced his Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1939, he declared the date of Thanksgiving to be Thursday, November 23, the second-to-last Thursday of the month.

Thanksgiving Day Tradition

Family Reunion and FeastingFamily feast is an important tradition during Thanksgiving. The entire family sits at the table during dinner and offer prayer to the Lord Almighty for his continuous grace. It is also a time for relatives living in different places to come together and celebrate.

Tradition of TurkeyThe traditional stuffed turkey adorns every dinner table during the feast. Pumpkin pie, Cranberry sauce, Corns are some of the dishes cooked

everywhere to mark the day. Though historians don't have an evidence to prove that turkey was eaten during the first Thanksgiving dinner, but the thanksgiving celebration will be incomplete without it.

ParadesThe traditional Thanksgiving parade probably started with President Lincoln proclaiming it an official day. The full- dress parade is a way to display the country's military strength and discipline. The main aim of such parades is to lift the spirits of the spectators, provide them with wholesome entertainment. In the present day, parades are accompanied with musical shows and celebrities.

Custom of DecorationThanksgiving is a time to decorate homes with wreaths, fresh and dried flowers. People beautify their homes, give the interiors a whole new look and feel. They light lamps to brighten the environment. Tables are adorned with best china and antique silver cutlery to mark the occasion.

Custom of sending messagesThanksgiving is a day when people send loving messages and warm wishes to their relatives, colleagues at work place, superiors and subordinates, near and dear ones. It is a day of conveying their feelings through Thanksgiving cards.

Special thanksgiving symbols are:

Cornucopia (Horn of Plenty) Pumpkin Corn (maize)

Beans Cranberry Turkey