11/21/2007: "Thanksgiving!"

Okay this week my topic is about Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a nationally recognized holiday in Canada and the United States as far as I know. It is usually associated with food, especially turkeys, autumn, and basically family. It is supposed to celebrate the end of the harvest season and thank God for the blessing bestowed upon them in the form of food and family.

The origins of Thanksgiving are traced all the way back to 1621 when the Pilgrims set apart a holiday after their first harvest to celebrate food, harvest and to praise god. All of this wouldn't have happened though without Squanto and the Native Americans. During their feast they invited the natives to join them in their feast, after all they taught them how to catch and cook their food. The Pilgrims fed and entertained the Native Americans for three days, at which point some of the Native Americans went into the forest, killed 5 deer, and gave them to the Governor as a gift. And so they had the first official celebration now known as Thanksgiving. In 1789, President George Washington proclaimed that "...Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country...for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed...and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually...To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best." Later on in 1939 President Franklin Roosevelt officially proclaimed that Thanksgiving was a national holiday to be observed on the 4th Thursday in November.

In the U.S. Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated with dinner of course. Thanksgiving meals are traditionally family events where certain kinds of food are served. As is evidenced by the tremendous level of travel, significant effort is made by family members to gather for the Thanksgiving celebration. Family participation is notably inclusive ranging from the very youngest to the most senior. First and foremost, turkey is the featured item in most Thanksgiving feasts (so much so that Thanksgiving is sometimes facetiously referred to as "Turkey Day"). Stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn, rolls, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie are commonly associated with Thanksgiving dinner. Often guests bring food items or help with cooking in the kitchen as part of a communal meal. Also common on Thanksgiving is a football game and a parade on television.
Now that we have learned so much about Thanksgiving and its origins I wish everyone a happy and filling Thanksgiving.