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STREET ADDRESS Robeson County 455 Caton Rd O.P. Owens Agriculture Center Lumberton, NC 28360 (910) 671-3276 Phone (910) 671-6278 Fax Map & Mailing Information Recent Tweets What makes a fruit or vegetable a superfood? Find out in this month's Produce Lady newsletter from #NC #CoopExt [more] (PDF) |
When we do think about Thanksgiving Day, we probably first think of the Pilgrims. But the tradition of the Pilgrim's first Thanksgiving is based largely on legend, and much of this legend is myth. The Pilgrims did not actually celebrate Thanksgiving their first year they arrived in the new world or any other year for that matter. Some of their descendants later developed the tradition of celebrating "Forefather Day," but this celebration actually occurred on either December 21 or 22. George Washington, and several presidents following him, actually declared a one-time Thanksgiving holiday, but Thanksgiving was not actually observed every year. In 1827, Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale began to lobby whatever president that happened to be in office at the time for a national Thanksgiving holiday. She was unsuccessful in her efforts until 1863 when President Lincoln finally made it a national holiday with his 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation which set aside the last Thursday in November for this celebration. By the time Franklin D. Roosevelt became president, merchants were already complaining that the last Thursday in November often fell on the fifth Thursday of the month. This was much too close to Christmas for business. The fourth Thursday in November was set as the official day to celebrate Thanksgiving by President Roosevelt in 1939, but this act was not actually signed by Congress until 1941. Whatever celebrating the Pilgrims did, it was probably sometime between early September and late October, because this was the time of the year most of their crops were being harvested. The official recognition of Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday was most likely accepted because this date was the closest to November 21, which was the day in 1620 when the Mayflower first dropped anchor at Cape Cod. Although they did not actually celebrate Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims did have a lot to be thankful for. Edward Winslow, one of the original Pilgrims, did write a letter in December 1621, the year following his arrival at Cape Cod. In this letter, he stated that the wheat crop did well, there was a good increase in their Indian corn, the barley didn't do too well, and the peas were not worth gathering. He further stated that four of their members had gone duck hunting and had gathered enough birds to feed the entire group for more than a week. In this letter, Winslow also stated that as many as 90 Indians joined them for three days to enjoy their bountiful harvest of both crops and animals. These Indians went out and killed five deer, which they gave to the Pilgrims. Some of the myths surrounding the first Thanksgivings relate to the kinds of foods the Pilgrims enjoyed.
Let's just be thankful.
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Date Created 11/29/04 |
If you are reading these comments on the day this paper was delivered, you are most likely enjoying a paid holiday and are celebrating a special time of the year with your family and friends. Although it is a holiday, you most likely have not given much thought to the history of this special day.
As we celebrate this special day, let all of us be thankful for our many blessings. Let's be thankful for the early Pilgrims and the sacrifices they made to settle this new world. Let's be thankful for the wisdom and skills of the Indians that the Pilgrims relied on as they learned to survive in this new world. Let's be thankful for our ability to learn, grow, and prosper together.
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