Its origin dates back to September 6, 1620, in Plymouth, England, when the ship (the Mayflower) crossed the Atlantic to colonize the New World. The 102 passengers persevered for more than two months in a severe storm at sea.
Thanksgiving Day History
Finally, the cry of “Land!” was heard, uttered with firmness and faith in Divine Providence. Strongly opposed to the doctrine of the Anglican church, this group of “pilgrims” finally had to cross the ocean to avoid the hangman’s noose.
Plymouth Rock Colony, in what is now Massachusetts, is where the Pilgrims made their home. Their first winter in the American New World was very difficult.
They were hungry, cold and half of the settlers died
With the help of the Wampanoag Indians, they were taught to plant corn the following spring, a plant previously unknown to the settlers. The Indians taught them to hunt, fish and grow other types of food.
Harvests of grain, barley, beans and squash were abundant in the fall of 1621. The colonists hosted a feast that Americans have historically called “America’s First Thanksgiving” as a token of their religious thanks.
The Grand Chief and 90 members of his Wampanoag tribe were guests of the Pilgrims
Native Americans brought turkeys and deer meat for roasting (turkeys). In utensils the Indians had never seen, the settlers (Pilgrims) had learned how to cook cranberries and prepare different kinds of grain.
The Native Americans had even brought popcorn for this first Thanksgiving. As a result, Thanksgiving and Pilgrims are still words that are frequently used together.
Many of the original settlers celebrated a feast in remembrance of the harvest in the following years. Congress (Council) proposed an annual day of Thanksgiving for the entire country to celebrate after U.S. independence.
George Washington suggested November 26 as a reference point
The date of Thanksgiving. But it would not be until 1863, at the end of a protracted and bloody Civil War, when Abraham Lincoln urged all Americans to celebrate Thanksgiving on the last Thursday in November.
Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks and send blessings to family and friends.
Families gather at the residence of the oldest relative, usually grandparents, despite the great distances between U.S. territories. They pray for blessings for their loved ones while giving thanks for all they have.
Civic clubs and charitable organizations offer a traditional meal to the neediest members of their community, especially the homeless, in the spirit of giving.
Thanksgiving Foods
Foods served at the first Thanksgiving are now staples on most American tables because of their historical significance, including corn, pumpkins, cranberry sauce and stuffed turkey.
The event is a public recognition of the Indians’ contribution to the first Thanksgiving, which took place 390 years ago.
The early settlers would not have survived without the Indians. Thanksgiving is also an important date for the indigenous peoples of North America. They celebrate individually or with their groups, the so-called (National Native American Indian Day of Mourning).