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 Feasting

Family 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 Turkey
The 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.

Parades
The 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 Decoration
Thanksgiving 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 messages

Thanksgiving 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