Giving Thanks - The First Thanksgiving
Dawn and I have a great deal to be thankful for, so making “thanks” a big part of our Thanksgiving is important to us. And a great way to begin is to remember and reflect upon how it all began.
We learned in school that the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts, starred the Pilgrims, Squanto and the friendly Wampanoag tribe led by Massasoit, who celebrated a bountiful harvest and the promise of making it through the harsh New England winter. But here are some lesser-known facts about that first Thanksgiving in 1621:
Squanto was a Patuxet Indian who almost single-handedly saved the first Pilgrims from starving to death. He taught them how to catch eels and trap fish during their spring run, plant corn and pumpkins and trap beavers. He helped the Pilgrims despite having been captured and sold into slavery by an English sea captain. According to Peter Marshall and David Manuel in The Light and the Glory, Squanto was shipped to Malaga, Spain, where he was rescued by local friars, and eventually returned to Plymouth, where he discovered not one member of his tribe was left alive.
During that first Thanksgiving celebration, the Wampanoags brought fat wild turkeys to the feast and introduced the Pilgrims to a local delicacy called popcorn. Next time you enjoy some at the movies, thank the Wampanoags, not Orville Reddenbacher.
They celebrated that first Thanksgiving in October, not November. In 1941, Congress issued a national proclamation setting our observance of Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November.
During the winter of 1621-22, an influx of new settlers eventually forced the pilgrims to each live on a daily ration of five kernels of corn. At the following Thanksgiving, Marshall and Manuel noted, “the first course was served ‘…on an empty plate and in front of each person were five kernels of corn… lest anyone should forget.’”
We have a lot to be thankful for, as did those first pilgrims. And for all its faults, we live in a country where we can write, speak and worship freely, and where we can attempt to right wrongs without being thrown in jail or exiled. Solomon wrote, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Well, where there is no thankfulness, people sour, slowly, like leftover cranberry sauce. We need Thanksgiving, if for no other reason than to remember that, while there may be only five kernels of corn on our plate, there are still five, and the promise of harvest is only a season or two away.
Doug
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A nice piece of history, thanks! We should all take Thanksgiving Day as a time to count our many blessings. It isn't just about the turkey, it is about what the turkey represents: bountiful blessings and good fortune far outwaying the potholes we all fall into along the way. Think about the 5 kernals and be thankful we have more this year and if we don't, remember that next year or the year after that will be better. Be thankful for what we have and don't complain about what we don't have. That is what the day is all about.
Yeah, what yolanda said. Now pass the turkey.
Just kidding, she is right. This is the one time a year set aside for us to remember our blessings and give thanks for them.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and yours!
Happy T Day to all! Have a great one and don't forget to give thanks for all you have.
Wonderful post Doug! We all have a lot to be thankful for. If nothing else, we can be thankful the election is finally over and we can stoke up our optimism that things will work out for the better. We will need to do our parts to help that process along of course. But on Thankgiving, it should be all about counting out many blessings.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and to yours. May your bounty be plentiful.
Very nice post. Thanks for reminding me to give thanks in an otherwise crappy year. Happy Thanksgiving.
What a wonderful article! I remember much of this from early schooling but many young people, my grand-daughter included, needed some remedial work. We are very fortunate to live in a free and wealthy country but should never take our prosperity for granted. That is why it is so important for us to dedicate at least this one day each year solely to think about all our blessings and give thanks to our Creator for providing them. Thank you for this wonderful reminder. I emailed it to my daughter and a few friends so that they might share it with those close to them. I hope you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving!
I'm outa here for a long weekend of too much turkey, football and naturally the Macy's Day Parade. Happy turkey day to everyone, see you next week! Gobble gobble gobble!
Same to you Teddy and to everyone else. Have a wonderful four days and, like the man says, remember to give thanks!!
Man, after that Sara Palin interview at the turkey farm after she pardoned a turkey and then talked to the press while the guy was killing turkeys behind her, I may not look at the poor birds the same way again. Thank goodness we will have tofurky for our Thanksgiving dinner this year. We gave up meat and became pescovegetarians after Doug and his wife did it. I have talked to a friend who does it every year and says it tastes great, so we are all looking forward to it (the kids not as much but they are committed to going with the flow). I will let you know how it was!
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Remember to give thanks!
Four days off and a new 42" flatscreen TV with surround sound in the family room! Turkey, the parade and FOOTBALL! Life is good and I am a THANKFUL MAN!!!
Ya'll have a terrific Turkey Day, give thanks, and GO TITANS!!!!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL! GO HAWKS!
Wonderful article! We agree completely. The economy may be sour right now, but we have hope that we will enjoy a better harvest in a year or two.