101Kidz : Holidays : Thanksgiving : History

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The festival of Thanksgiving is well entrenched in various civilizations all over the world. Ancient tribes as well as pagan worshippers used to organize feasts and make offerings to God. The ancient Romans and Greeks held their respective Thanksgiving in order as a mark of respect to their God. The Jews too have their own harvest ceremony known as Sukkoth. Same goes for the Hindus.

In USA the first Thanksgiving feast was celebrated in 1621 by the pilgrims who sailed from Plymouth colony along with around 90 Wampanoag Indians. Earlier the Pilgrims had to rough through a devastating winter which killed almost half of their friends and family. Without the help of the Indians, all Pilgrims would have perished.

Next year, after a fruitful harvest, Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer to God. The food, which was eaten outdoors, included corn, geese, turkeys, ducks, eplums, cod, bass, barley, venisson and corn bread. It is assumed that the feast took place in late autumn.

In 1623, a period of drought was answered by colonists with a proclamation of prayer and fasting. Later that year, Governor Bradford proclaimed November 29 as a time for pilgrims to gather and "listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings."

There are only two contemporary accounts of the 1621 Thanksgiving: First is Edward Winslow's account, which he wrote in a letter dated December 12, 1621.

Our corn [i.e. wheat] did prove well, and God be praised, we had a good increase of Indian corn, and our barley indifferent good, but our peas not worth the gathering, for we feared they were too late sown. They came up very well, and blossomed, but the sun parched them in the blossom. Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.

The second description was written twenty years later by William Bradford in his History Of Plymouth Plantation.

They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercising in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides they had about a peck of meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports.


Over the years many thanksgiving proclamations and celebrations were observed in USA. In 1789 George Washington proclaimed a National Thanksgiving Day on the last Thursday in November, in honor of the new United States Constitution.

During the 19th century an increasing number of states observed the day annually, each appointing its own day. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday due to the untiring effort of Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Godey's Lady's Book, Boston. For the date she chose the last Thursday in November because of Washington's proclamation. In 1941, it was officially changed to the fourth Thursday in November.





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