My fondest memory of Thanksgiving comes from the time when I was a child. I enjoyed going over to my Grandma and Grandpa’s house several times. One particular Thanksgiving, I recall it snowing the biggest flakes I have ever seen. That day I remember Grandpa telling stories about how when he was a child, and how the snow fall would be so great that it would cover the fence posts. I played out in the snow a little, and then stayed inside the warm house. Family meant something, everyone seemed to love each other, and the food tasted really good.
Too bad I just can’t leave the story there. You should know me well enough now to know that I just can’t let things go. So, to rob a quote from Paul Harvey, here is the rest of the story. Unfortunately, later in life I would realize that it was all a façade…no one really got along, and many of the people simply tolerated each other for the holiday season. Grandpa cussed like a sailor (come to think of it, he actually was a sailor in the war), and he smoked like… well, someone who smokes a lot. On more than one occasion I noticed he would light a cigarette before he put the first one out. Having taught meterology now, I know he probably lied about the great snow falls. And Grandma, there is a story in itself. She was crazy (seriously, she would burn pictures and clothes in a fireplace) Grandpa died an early death from a heart attach, they considered institutionalizing Grandma, and Mom and Dad got divorced. So much for happy endings (did I just quote Avril Lavigne?).
Okay, enough about all that. Here really IS something worth reading.
The year was 1621. The pilgrims had begun their new life in a very different world. This was a hard world--a difficult life. Many of them had suffered, and many of them had died. Making it through their first year, the Pilgrims really did have much for which to be thankful. Although they didn’t start the Thanksgiving tradition, from the best I can tell (and from reading this article), they really did have a “Thanksgiving” of sorts. They got together with the Indians, and had a really nice feast. Unfortunately, they probably didn’t eat what we have today. According to The 1621 Thanksgiving, The pilgrims and Indians ate five deer, many turkeys and water foul, fish, and the “harvest” which consisted of wheat, corn, barley, and a few peas (the pea crop did not do well that year.) Potatoes didn’t grow in the area, so they were probably not part of the dishes. Cranberries did, however, but as another article aptly puts it, it was likely nothing like “the sauce that comes in a can.” But of course, they probably had a few other, shall we say, not so common items on the Thanksgiving menu. Items such as mussels, clams, eel, as well has house garden foods such as sorrel and liverwart. Mmmmm, yum! Maybe this year I will have eel and liverwart for Thanksgiving dinner!
But it wasn’t until 1789 that American celebrated its first official Thanksgiving. At that time, President George Washington made a proclamation that American celebrate a “Day of Thanksgiving to God.” Many presidents followed with these proclamations, but, according to this website,
"Much of the credit for the adoption of a later ANNUAL national Thanksgiving Day may be attributed to Mrs. Sarah Joseph Hale, the editor of Godey's Lady's Book. For thirty years, she promoted the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day, contacting President after President until President Abraham Lincoln responded in 1863 by setting aside the last Thursday of November as a national Day of Thanksgiving. Over the next seventy-five years, Presidents followed Lincoln's precedent, annually declaring a national Thanksgiving Day. Then, in 1941, Congress permanently established the fourth Thursday of each November as a national holiday."
So that is the story. Thanksgiving truly is an American holiday. Thanks for reading!
Too bad I just can’t leave the story there. You should know me well enough now to know that I just can’t let things go. So, to rob a quote from Paul Harvey, here is the rest of the story. Unfortunately, later in life I would realize that it was all a façade…no one really got along, and many of the people simply tolerated each other for the holiday season. Grandpa cussed like a sailor (come to think of it, he actually was a sailor in the war), and he smoked like… well, someone who smokes a lot. On more than one occasion I noticed he would light a cigarette before he put the first one out. Having taught meterology now, I know he probably lied about the great snow falls. And Grandma, there is a story in itself. She was crazy (seriously, she would burn pictures and clothes in a fireplace) Grandpa died an early death from a heart attach, they considered institutionalizing Grandma, and Mom and Dad got divorced. So much for happy endings (did I just quote Avril Lavigne?).
Okay, enough about all that. Here really IS something worth reading.
The year was 1621. The pilgrims had begun their new life in a very different world. This was a hard world--a difficult life. Many of them had suffered, and many of them had died. Making it through their first year, the Pilgrims really did have much for which to be thankful. Although they didn’t start the Thanksgiving tradition, from the best I can tell (and from reading this article), they really did have a “Thanksgiving” of sorts. They got together with the Indians, and had a really nice feast. Unfortunately, they probably didn’t eat what we have today. According to The 1621 Thanksgiving, The pilgrims and Indians ate five deer, many turkeys and water foul, fish, and the “harvest” which consisted of wheat, corn, barley, and a few peas (the pea crop did not do well that year.) Potatoes didn’t grow in the area, so they were probably not part of the dishes. Cranberries did, however, but as another article aptly puts it, it was likely nothing like “the sauce that comes in a can.” But of course, they probably had a few other, shall we say, not so common items on the Thanksgiving menu. Items such as mussels, clams, eel, as well has house garden foods such as sorrel and liverwart. Mmmmm, yum! Maybe this year I will have eel and liverwart for Thanksgiving dinner!
But it wasn’t until 1789 that American celebrated its first official Thanksgiving. At that time, President George Washington made a proclamation that American celebrate a “Day of Thanksgiving to God.” Many presidents followed with these proclamations, but, according to this website,
"Much of the credit for the adoption of a later ANNUAL national Thanksgiving Day may be attributed to Mrs. Sarah Joseph Hale, the editor of Godey's Lady's Book. For thirty years, she promoted the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day, contacting President after President until President Abraham Lincoln responded in 1863 by setting aside the last Thursday of November as a national Day of Thanksgiving. Over the next seventy-five years, Presidents followed Lincoln's precedent, annually declaring a national Thanksgiving Day. Then, in 1941, Congress permanently established the fourth Thursday of each November as a national holiday."
So that is the story. Thanksgiving truly is an American holiday. Thanks for reading!
2 comments:
enjoyed your thoughts on thanksgiving.
Merd Fooney
I once write an article " the tale of two thanks givings: one I was a drunk far from home the other I had a real Noman Rockwell holiday with Kitty's fanily. What made the difference? God and family that's what it's all about anyway. I wish you and your's a great holiday.
Sincerely Merd Fooney
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