What does Thanksgiving mean to you?
Thanksgiving means different things to different people. When many people hear Thanksgiving, they are reminded of airport travel, family meetings, and too much food.
They are right. The days before and after Thanksgiving (Wednesday and Sunday) are among the busiest travel days ever. And food is in ample supply as families gather in their homes to eat delicacies such as turkey and pumpkin pies.
But what does Thanksgiving mean originally?
The first Thanksgiving feast was celebrated almost fourhundred years ago, in 1621. It was at that time that the pilgrims of the Plymouth colony had come out of a pretty disastrous and cold winter. Almost 50% of them had died.
But about 90 Wampanoag Indians helped them, so the pilgrims’ governor, William Bradford, announced a thanksgiving day. On that day everyone would give thanks and pray to god. For 3 days, they ate a lot of different things, including corn, goose, turkey, duck and eel.
More than 150 years later, George Washington (the first US president) decided that the last Thursday in November would be the official National Thanksgiving Day, honoring the Constitution. Shortly thereafter, Thomas Jefferson (the third president) canceled the practice because he thought it was “kingly” and inappropriate.
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln reitroduced Thanksgiving as a national holiday. The date was the last Thursday in November. Later, in 1941, the date was officially changed to the fourth Thursday in November. (This makes a difference because sometimes, there are five Thursdays in November).
So what does Thanksgiving really mean? It’s a holiday for individuals. It means something different to each and every person and they celebrated it how they like it. There’s no religion, rules or even presents. There can be Thanksgiving prayers, but they’re not compulsory. For turkeys, Thanksgiving means death.
Every year, Thanksgiving is different and yet the same. That’s what makes Thanksgiving so exciting.
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 24th, 2007 at 2:40 am
The last time I checked 1578 came before 1621…..unless of course The United States is the center of the Universe……Which of course it is for some lol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving
November 25th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Canada is not the center of the universe either…um ..not sure the universe even has a center.
“It should be noted that the 1578 ceremony was not the first Thanksgiving as defined by First Nations tradition. Long before the time of Martin Frobisher, it was traditional in many First Nations cultures to offer an official giving of thanks during autumnal gatherings. In Haudenosaunee culture, Thanksgiving is a prayer recited to honor “The Three Sisters” (i.e., beans, corn, and squash) during the fall harvest.”