We learn, at a very early age, to date Thanksgiving to 1621. Although this feast is considered by many to the very first Thanksgiving
celebration, and "coming together" of the Pilgrims and surrounding Native Americans, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the
harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. Native American
groups throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Creek and many
others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of
thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America.
The Pilgrims, who celebrated the first thanksgiving in America, were fleeing
religious persecution in their native England. In 1609 a group of Pilgrims left
England for the religious freedom in Holland where they lived and prospered.
After a few years their children were speaking Dutch and had become attached to
the dutch way of life. This worried the Pilgrims. They considered the Dutch
frivolous and their ideas a threat to their children's education and
morality.
So they decided to leave Holland and travel to the New World. Their trip was financed
by a group of English investors, the Merchant Adventurers. It was agreed that
the Pilgrims would be given passage and supplies in exchange for their working
for their backers for 7 years.
On Sept. 6, 1620 the Pilgrims set sail for the New World on a ship called the
Mayflower. They sailed from Plymouth, England and aboard were 44 Pilgrims, who
called themselves the "Saints", and 66 others ,whom the Pilgrims called the
"Strangers."
The long trip was cold and damp and took 65 days. Since there was the danger
of fire on the wooden ship, the food had to be eaten cold. Many passengers
became sick and one person died by the time land was sighted on November
10th.
The long trip led to many disagreements between the "Saints" and the
"Strangers". After land was sighted a meeting was held and an agreement was
worked out, called the Mayflower Compact, which guaranteed equality and unified
the two groups. They joined together and named themselves the "Pilgrims."
Although they had first sighted land off Cape Cod they did not settle until
they arrived at Plymouth, which had been named by Captain John Smith in 1614. It
was there that the Pilgrims decide to settle. Plymouth offered an excellent
harbor. A large brook offered a resource for fish. The Pilgrims biggest concern
was attack by the local Native American Indians. But the Patuxets were
a peaceful group and did not prove to be a threat.
The first winter was devastating to the Pilgrims. The cold, snow and sleet
was exceptionally heavy, interfering with the workers as they tried to construct
their settlement. March brought warmer weather and the health of the Pilgrims
improved, but many had died during the long winter. Of the 110 Pilgrims and crew
who left England, fewer than 50 survived the first winter.
On March 16, 1621, an important event took place when an
Indian brave walked into the Plymouth settlement. The Pilgrims were frightened
until the Indian called out "Welcome" (in English!).
His name was Samoset and he was an Abnaki Indian. He had learned
English from the captains of fishing boats that had sailed off the coast. After
staying the night Samoset left the next day. He soon returned with another
Indian named Squanto who spoke better English than Samoset. Squanto
told the Pilgrims of his voyages across the ocean and his visits to England and
Spain. It was in England where he had learned English.
Squanto's importance to the Pilgrims was enormous and it is said that
they would not have survived without his help. It was Squanto who taught the
Pilgrims how to tap the maple trees for sap. He taught them which plants were
poisonous and which had medicinal powers. He taught them how to plant the Indian
corn by heaping the earth into low mounds with several seeds and fish in each
mound. The decaying fish fertilized the corn. He also taught them to plant other
crops with the corn.
The harvest in October was very successful and the Pilgrims found themselves
with enough food to put away for the winter. There was corn, fruits and vegetables, fish to be packed in salt, and meat to be cured over smoky fires.
The Pilgrims had much to celebrate, they had built homes in the wilderness,
they had raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter,
they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. They had beaten the odds and it
was time to celebrate
The Pilgrim Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving to be
shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native Americans. They invited
Squanto and the other Indians to join them in their celebration. Their chief,
Massasoit, and 90 braves came to the celebration which lasted for 3
days. They played games, ran races, marched and played drums. The Indians
demonstrated their skills with the bow and arrow and the Pilgrims demonstrated
their musket skills. Exactly when the festival took place is uncertain, but it
is believed the celebration took place in mid-October. But of course, we all know there was food!
A modern staple at almost every Thanksgiving table we know 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.The following year the Pilgrims harvest was not as bountiful, as they were
still unused to growing the corn. During the year they had also shared their
stored food with newcomers and the Pilgrims ran short of
food.
The 3rd year brought a spring and summer that was hot and dry with the crops
dying in the fields. Governor Bradford ordered a day of fasting and prayer, and
it was soon thereafter that the rain came. To celebrate - November 29th of that
year was proclaimed a day of thanksgiving. This date is believed to be the real
true beginning of the present day Thanksgiving Day.
The custom of an annually celebrated thanksgiving, held after the harvest,
continued through the years. During the American Revolution (late 1770's) a day
of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress.
In 1817 New York State had 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.
Safe travels to you, if you're joining friends and family out of town, and I wish for you, also, a day where you have much for which to give thanks. Happy Thanksgiving.
John
Email John: johnsblog@teshmedia.com
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