Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the US and in many other countries as well. It is observed every fourth Thursday of November. The day is celebrated with different traditions. Read on to learn about the origin and history of Thanksgiving Day.
This year, Thanksgiving Day will be observed on November 28 (Photo credit: Freepik)
New Delhi: Thanksgiving Day is a holiday in the USA. It is celebrated with loved ones and is marked by many expressions of gratitude. Thanksgiving falls on every fourth Thursday of November. The day’s origins date back to 1621. However, the history of Thanksgiving Day is more intricate and nuanced than the festive dinners of today.
In this article, let us look at the origins and history of Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving 2024: What is the history of this day?
There are many legends about when Thanksgiving began. It is believed that the day started in 1621.
Throwback to 1620
In September 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England, with 102 passengers on board. These included religious separatists who searched for freedom and others seeking land and prosperity in the New World. They faced a dangerous 66-day journey across the Atlantic. They meant to reach the Hudson River but arrived in Massachusetts Bay, where they founded the village of Plymouth.
The colonists struggled during their first winter. Many faced harsh conditions and diseases. Sadly, only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers and crew survived until spring. It was in March that the survivors moved ashore. There, they met an Abenaki tribe member who greeted them in English.
Squanto’s Role in Thanksgiving History
A notable figure is Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe, who an English captain kidnaped. Before making it back home, he was sold into slavery. He taught the pilgrims important survival skills, like cultivating corn, fishing, identifying edible plants, and extracting sap from maple trees. He also helped build a strong partnership between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe, lasting over 50 years.
First Thanksgiving in History
After a good corn harvest in November 1621, William Bradford, a Governor in the US, planned a three-day feast to celebrate. This event was later known as America’s “first Thanksgiving.” The feast included both Pilgrims and Native American friends, like Massasoit, the chief of the Wampanoag. It is believed that the Native American spices and cooking methods. There were no pies, cakes, or desserts because they lacked an oven and had little sugar.
For more than two centuries, individual colonies and states held days of Thanksgiving.
However, it wasn’t until 1863, during the Civil War, that US President Abraham Lincoln declared a National Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated every November.
Controversies related to Thanksgiving Day
Scholars debate whether the feast at Plymouth was the first Thanksgiving in the US Other ceremonies of thanks by European settlers predate the Pilgrims’ celebration, such as a dinner hosted by Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilé with the Timucua tribe in 1565 and a proclamation of Thanksgiving by British settlers at Berkeley Hundred in 1619.
Many Native Americans and others criticize how the Thanksgiving story is portrayed, arguing it oversimplifies relations between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag, overlooking the violent history between Native Americans and settlers. Since 1970, protesters have gathered on Thanksgiving Day at Cole’s Hill in Plymouth to mark a “National Day of Mourning,” with similar events across the country.
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