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 The
City of Burbank
Celebrates
Thanksgiving Day
November 25,2010
Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It is a
legal holiday in all states, the District of Columbia, the Canal Zone, Guam,
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
History of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving, with its roast turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pies is a
distinctively American holiday. The legacy of the Pilgrims is cherished by
all Americans as a time for giving thanks for the harvests and for other
blessings the year has brought. The idea of such a day was not new with the
Pilgrims. It is claimed that the Chinese observed such rites thousands of
years ago. Thanksgiving can also be traced back to the ancient Jewish Feast
of Tabernacles, which lasted eight days, also to a nine-day celebration, the
Greek feast of Demeter, goddess of agriculture; and the Roman Cerealia,
honoring Ceres. Both the Greek and Roman festivals featured sacrifices to
the deities; and these ceremonies were combined with music and feasting.
The Anglo-Saxons held their "harvest home" celebration, following a
traditional autumn feast of the Druids. This was the high point of the year
in rural districts. After the last cartload of grain was being brought in
from the fields, reapers and other workers followed the wagon singing. After
the ingathering, there was a hearty supper for all farm workers. There were
viands, an abundance of ale and toasts to the master and mistress. Scotland,
England, Russia, Norway, Poland and Lithuania all had thanksgiving
celebrations in the fall.
The Pilgrims, who celebrated the first thanksgiving in America, were fleeing
religious prosecution in their native England. In 1609 a group of pilgrims
left England for the religious freedom in Holland where they lived and
prospered. After a few years their children spoke Dutch and they had become
attached to the Dutch way of life. But the Pilgrims considered the Dutch
frivolous and considered their ideas a threat to their children's education
and morality. They decided to leave Holland and travel to the New World.
Their trip was financed by a group of English investors, the Merchant
Adventurers. It was agreed that the Pilgrims would be given passage and
supplies in exchange for their working for their backers for 7 years.
On September 6, 1620, the Pilgrims set sail for the New World. They sailed
from Plymouth, England and aboard were 44 Pilgrims, who called themselves
the "Saints", and 66 others, whom the Pilgrims called the "Strangers". The
long trip was cold and damp and took 65 days. There was the danger of fire
on the wooden ship, so food had to be eaten cold. Many passengers became
sick and one person died by the time land was sighted on November 10th. The
long trip led to many disagreements between the "Saints" and the
"Strangers". After land was sighted a meeting was held and an agreement was
worked out. This document was called the Mayflower Compact. It guaranteed
equality and unified the two groups. They joined together and called
themselves the "Pilgrims" Although they had first sighted land off Cape Cod,
they did not settle until they arrived at Plymouth, which had been named by
Captain John Smith in 1614. It offered an excellent harbor. A large brook
offered a source for fish. Their biggest concern was attack by the local
Native Americans. Fortunately, the Patuxets were a peaceful group.
The small band of Pilgrims, who landed at the bleak shore of Plymouth on
December 11, 1620, passed a winter filled with sickness and hardships.
Forty-seven of the 103 Mayflower passengers died. However, with the spring
came new hope. Each family had a home; and a friendly Indian, Squanto (who
had been taken to England, where he learned English) brought the Pilgrims
some corn. He taught them how to cultivate it, also how to net fish. Squanto
also taught the Pilgrims how to tap the maple trees for sap, which plants
were poisonous and which had medicinal powers. So that spring the settlers
planted twenty acres of corn, six of barley, and some peas. The corn and
barley did well, the peas were parched by the hot sun.
During their stay in Holland, the Pilgrims had seen the Dutch celebrate a
day of thanksgiving for their victory over the Spanish in October 1575. It
seemed appropriate to have a day for feasting and celebration. Governor
William Bradford chose a date late in 1621. One settler reported: Our
harvest being gotten in, our governor sent 4 men fowling so that we might
after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruit of
our labors. The hunters returned with many wild turkeys, wood pigeons,
partridges, geese, and ducks. Others brought in clams, eels, and various
kinds of fish. The women were busy preparing the foods, making Indian
pudding, hoecake, and so forth. It is said that Priscilla Mullins (who
married John Alden) was one of the best cooks; and that she worked in the
largest kitchen and produced some special dishes. It is unlikely that the
first feast table included pumpkin pie. The supply of flour had long been
diminished, so there was no bread or pastries of any kind. However, they did
eat boiled pumpkin, and they produced a type of fried bread from their corn
crop. There was also no milk, cider, potatoes, or butter. There were no
domestic cattle for dairy products, and the newly discovered potato was
still considered by many Europeans to be poisonous. The feast did include
fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums.
The Pilgrims had made a treaty of peace with the Indians and their chief,
Massasoit, they decided to invite them. What a surprise when ninety natives
accepted the invitation. The Indians killed five deer for the feast and are
said to have introduced the settlers to eating oysters.At the three-day
get-together, the women served the men at long tables. At that time two
people usually ate from one trencher, a wooden plate with a hollowed-out
center, about twelve inches square. After dinner, the Pilgrims and their
guests engaged in races and other athletic contests. The Natives
demonstrated their skills with the bow and arrow and the Pilgrims
demonstrated their musket skills. Historians state that official records of
the time contain no reference to any type of religious service.
The following year the Pilgrims' harvest was not as bountiful. During the
year they had also shared their stored food with newcomers and the Pilgrims
ran short of food. The third year brought a spring and summer that was hot
and dry; and the crops were dying in the fields. Governor Bradford ordered a
day of fasting and prayer. For nine hours the praying continued. The rain
came and saved the crops. To celebrate, November 29, 1623 was proclaimed a
day of thanksgiving. This date is believed to be the real true beginning of
the present day Thanksgiving Day for it was religious as well as social.
There is no evidence that such a day was regularly observed after this. When
settlers of other faiths reached New England, it was decided to let the
governors set the dates. The Dutch people of New Amsterdam-later New
York-began to observe "Thank Days" in 1644, and continued them after coming
under British rule. The custom of combining the religious elements at these
thanksgiving Days gradually spread from New England to other settlements.
During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress set several
Thanksgiving Days for the people to rejoice in their homes and churches for
victories won. In 1778, George Washington proclaimed a day on which to give
thanks for the treaties just concluded with France. Three years after the
War of 1812, President Madison proclaimed a special thanksgiving for peace.
Later, there were scattered observances at varying dates in some states,
mostly in the North. In 1817, New York State had adopted thanksgiving Day as
an annual custom.
By the middle of the 19th century many other states also celebrated a
Thanksgiving Day. Gradually, the feeling grew all over the land that we
should have a uniform national Thanksgiving Day. Sarah Josepha Hale, the
editor of the popular magazine, Godey's Lady's Book, was the chief sponsor
of this idea for forty years. After the victory at Gettysburg, there was
great rejoicing in the North. President Lincoln issued a proclamation and
named the last Thursday in November as the date. |
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Greater Chicago
Food Depository Turkey Trot
Thanksgiving day Parade
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