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The History Of Thanksgiving
Angela Tyler
Throughout history, the celebration of a bountiful harvest has
been an annual occurrence. Harvest festivals have been a
tradition among all nations and races. The Greeks, Egyptians,
Romans, Chinese, and Hebrews have all had harvest celebrations,
even before organized religion came to be. In America, the first
Thanksgiving celebration took place in 1621. The Native
Americans shared this event with the Pilgrims because the
Pilgrims had learned to plant crops and hunt wild game in the
New World according to Native American culture. Without the
help of the Native Americans, the colonists would have not
survived their first winter nor would they have harvested
bountiful crops.
The early Thanksgiving celebrations in America were not known
as "Thanksgiving". There were harvest celebrations that did not
include what are staples in modern times such as cranberry
sauce, turkey, and pumpkin pie. It is entirely possible that
wild fowl including turkey and duck were served, but turkey did
not hold the sacred place it holds now. It is thought that
seafood was a major component of the harvest celebration due to
the colonist's proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. There could have
been seasonal vegetables such as squash included in the
festivities, but side dishes did play a major role in the
feast. Also, desserts such as pies and cakes were most likely
not included due to a lack of sugar and obviously, there were
no ovens in which to bake them.
The Pilgrim's harvest festival is thought of as the first
Thanksgiving, but in reality the term "Thanksgiving" was
normally applied to a religious holiday until the 19th century.
In 1817 Thanksgiving Day was officially adopted by New York
State as an annual event. By 1863, President Abraham Lincoln
declared a national day of Thanksgiving, and since then every
president has given a Thanksgiving Day proclamation. >From 1939
to 1941 Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed the third Thursday in
November as Thanksgiving Day, but in 1941 Congress passed a
resolution declaring that Thanksgiving was to be held
officially on the fourth Thursday of November. Since that time,
the holiday has been celebrated on that day.
The traditional dishes that are served on Thanksgiving evolved
over a hundred years or more. More than likely, the turkey is
the only similarity modern celebrations have with the harvest
festival celebrated by the Pilgrims. Our favorite desserts,
such as pumpkin pie, were absent from the Thanksgiving
festivities during WWII due to shortages of sugar. Side dishes
like green bean casserole and stuffing have been the products
of modern times and an abundance of food supplies.
We have many reasons to be thankful on Thanksgiving Day. Our
friends and family, our easy access to food, and modern
conveniences are things that we tend to take for granted. Early
Thanksgiving celebrations were held to rejoice in the gift of a
bountiful harvest and the very survival of the Pilgrims, a fact
that we should remember each and every year.
About The Author: Are you a mom who’d rather play than cook? If
so, you won’t want to miss http://www.freequickrecipes.com. And,
if frugal cooking is your thing, then check out
http://www.freequickrecipes.com/frugal-cooking.php.
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