Why am I making this page about Thanksgiving Day? Of what is it a reminder?
I'm making this page about Thanksgiving Day because I feel that our National Holiday of Thanksgiving Day, coming up soon, is getting short shrift, with all of the too early Christmas advertising, and we may be loosing sight of the true meaning of Thanksgiving day. It seems that we, both as a Nation, and as people of faith have lost sight of our need to be thankful to our creator and sustainer, Almighty God, a need of which the holiday was meant to be a reminder. Often, even if we celebrate the holiday, it becomes a time of feasting and family rather than of remembrance and thanksgiving. It was originally meant to be a reminder of the blessings of Almighty God upon our country and to us as a people and individually. My own spiritual background (see next module below) gives a very basic reason for my own thankfulness and one in which you too can share. Read it and then check out the history of Thanksgiving from the history channel (next module).
On a larger scale, the absence of daily thanksgiving to our creator is the first step on a downward spiral, as I point out in my article "The Power of Thanksgiving and Vice Versa" following the history of Thanksgiving. Check out the quote bubble for a quote by William Jennings Bryant. Then the "Bit of Thoughtful humor" should serve as a humorous but true reminder of how much we really have to be thankful for but we don't realize it.
Every day a thanksgiving day
(MY SPIRITUAL BACKGROUND)
I'm thankful that I was raised in a Christian home, and that at an early age I was taught that I had to trust Jesus for myself. One day after a neighborhood Bible study, I prayed with the teacher to accept Jesus as my personal saviour. My parents then explained to me that although salvation is a free gift, our lives should be lived in thankfulness and appreciation for it. But in my teenage years, I got away from it somehow and began to doubt my eternal salvation, until one day I came to grips with it and realized I had to make sure, so I went forward in church and prayed for God to save me or make me sure of my salvation and I felt a real sense of His peace, and have never doubted since, but have been living in thankfulness for my eternal salvation.It doesn't mean I'm perfect. I still sin, but when I do, the Holy Spirit convicts me and I confess it and am forgiven (IJohn 1:9).
I'm thankful that I can know that God loves me and is with me each day of my life.
Origin and History of Thanksgivng day compiled from the History Channel
The History and meaning of Thanksgiving day
Throughout history mankind has celebrated the bountiful harvest with thanksgiving ceremonies. The Greeks, the Romans, The Chinese and the Egyptians all had their own unique celebrations. And with the Hebrews, the feast of Tabernacles could be considered a type of thanksgiving celebration.But the Celebration which we observe here in the United States each year is unique in its history and purpose. 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 were speaking Dutch and had become attached to the Dutch way of life. This worried the Pilgrims. They considered the Dutch frivolous and their ideas a threat to their children's education and morality. So 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 Sept. 6, 1620 the Pilgrims set sail for the New World on a ship called the Mayflower.
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. Since there was the danger of fire on the wooden ship, the 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, called the Mayflower Compact, which guaranteed equality and unified the two groups. They joined together and named 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 was there that the Pilgrims decide to settle. Plymouth offered an excellent harbor. A large brook offered a resource for fish.
The Pilgrims biggest concern was attack by the local Native American Indians. But the Patuxets were a peaceful group and did not prove to be a threat. The first winter was devastating to the Pilgrims. The cold, snow and sleet were exceptionally heavy, interfering with the workers as they tried to construct their settlement. March brought warmer weather and the health of the Pilgrims improved, but many had died during the long winter. Of the 110 Pilgrims and crew who left England, less that 50 survived the first winter.In 1621, after a hard and devastating first year in the New World the Pilgrim's fall harvest was very successful and plentiful. The Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter. On March 16, 1621 , what was to become an important event took place, an Indian brave walked into the Plymouth settlement. The Pilgrims were frightened until the Indian called out "Welcome" (in English!).His name was Samoset and he was an Abnaki Indian. He had learned English from the captains of fishing boats that had sailed off the coast. After staying the night Samoset left the next day. He soon returned with another Indian named Squanto who spoke better English than Samoset. Squanto told the Pilgrims of his voyages across the ocean and his visits to England and Spain. It was in England where he had learned English. Squanto's importance to the Pilgrims was enormous and it can be said that they would not have survived without his help. It was Squanto who taught the Pilgrims how to tap the maple trees for sap. He taught them which plants were poisonous and which had medicinal powers. He taught them how to plant the Indian corn by heaping the earth into low mounds with several seeds and fish in each mound. The decaying fish fertilized the corn. He also taught them to plant other crops with the corn.
The harvest in October was very successful and the Pilgrims found themselves with enough food to put away for the winter. There was corn, fruits and vegetables, fish to be packed in salt, and meat to be cured over smoky fires. The Pilgrims had much to celebrate. They had built homes in the wilderness, They had raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter. They were at peace with their Indian neighbors. They had beaten the odds and it was time to celebrate. The Pilgrim Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native Americans. They invited Squanto and the other Indians to join them in their celebration. Their chief, Massasoit, and 90 braves came to the celebration which lasted for 3 days. They played games, ran races, marched and played drums. The Indians demonstrated their skills with the bow and arrow and the Pilgrims demonstrated their musket skills. Exactly when the festival took place is uncertain, but it is believed the celebration took place in mid-October. The following year the Pilgrims harvest was not as bountiful, as they were still unused to growing the corn. During the year they had also shared their stored food with newcomers and the Pilgrims ran short of food.
The 3rd year brought a spring and summer that was hot and dry with the crops dying in the fields. Governor Bradford ordered a day of fasting and prayer, and it was soon thereafter that the rain came. To celebrate - November 29th of that year was proclaimed a day of thanksgiving. This date is believed to be the real true beginning of the present day Thanksgiving Day.
Watch about the first Thanksgiving day.
Order your DVD's or videos now.
![Squanto & the First Thanksgiving [VHS]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/213VQBG6WFL._SL75_.jpg)
![Mayflower Pilgrims, The [VHS]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PE3KSWR4L._SL75_.jpg)
The custom of an annually celebrated thanksgiving, held after the harvest, continued through the years. During the American Revolution (late 1770's) a day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress. 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. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill officially establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. Read More on the Hstory & Meaning of Thanksgiving day.
The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving (Graphic History series)
This one is also a good historical adaptation on the first Thanksgiving. We find out that the Indians that help the Pilgrims also had their thanksgiving rituals and that Pilgrims also had theirs. We know about what they ate that first day. More importantly, this story includes why the Pilgrims left England and why they decided to stay in that place in spite of the unsurmounting obstacles. It shows us how difficult was the colonizing process. I highly recommend it.
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1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving
Gr 3-5-A considerable amount of information is packed into this pictorial presentation of the reenactment of the first Thanksgiving, held at Plimoth Plantation museum in October, 2000. Countering the prevailing, traditional story of the first Thanksgiving, with its black-hatted, silver-buckled Pilgrims; blanket-clad, be-feathered Indians; cranberry sauce; pumpkin pie; and turkey, this lushly illustrated photo-essay presents a more measured, balanced, and historically accurate version of the three-day harvest celebration in 1621. Five chapters give background on the Wampanoag people, colonization, Indian diplomacy, the harvest of 1621, and the evolution of the Thanksgiving story. A brief introduction and an afterword serve to set the stage and bring to a conclusion the story of incipient race relations in 17th-century Massachusetts, the impact of which is felt to the present. While debunking the Thanksgiving story as it is most frequently told, this recounting in no way detracts from the historical importance of the holiday. Pair it with Kate Waters's Tapenum's Day (Scholastic, 1996) for a penetrating alternative look at a uniquely American celebration.
Release Date: 09/01/2001
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El Dia De Accion De Gracias / Thanksgiving Day (Historias De Fiestas / Holiday Histories) (Spanish Edition)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Library Binding: 32 pages
Publisher: Heinemann Educational Books; Tra edition (March 2003) Language: Spanish
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A Great and Godly Adventure: The Pilgrims and the Myth of the First Thanksgiving
Readers may finally fully understand the meaning of Thanksgiving as the Pilgrims first intended. Beginning with the religious movements in 17th century Europe, Hodgson gives a fastidiously researched description of the path that leads the Pilgrims to the new world to preach their godly message. Contrary to 19th century prints, Hodgson describes the Pilgrims at their first landing, not "with fife and drum, watched by cowering Indians, but staggering ashore, exhausted, drenched, and chilled to the bone." Establishing the colony was a brutal exercise. The Pilgrims endured "the starving time," and had to secretly bury bodies "so the Indians should not suspect how much the settlement was weakened." Hodgson follows the evolution of Thanksgiving into contemporary times, chronicling the rise of football as a Thanksgiving tradition, "almost as sacred as turkey and cranberry sauce, or pumpkin pie."
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The True Story of the First Thanksgiving (What Really Happened?)
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Other lenses on the history of Thanksgivng
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The First Thanksgiving and other Thanksgiving Facts and Trivia!
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Where was it? What did the pilgrims eat on that first thanksgiving? Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving? Read more on the history of Thanksgiving.
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John Billington?
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Learn about John Billington and find books and other products related to pilgrims like costumes, Mayflower kits and toys.
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William Bradford?
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Get books, costumes, toys and other great resources to help you learn more about William Bradford (1590-1657). TIME LINE 1590 Born in Austerfield, England 1609 Bradford arrives in Amsterdam 1613 Marries Dorothy May 1620 Mayflower voyage to Plymouth...
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Squanto?
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Learn about how Squanto was Providentially enabled to help the Pilgrims and find Christianity. Here are great resources and links, books, toys, teepees, costumes, archery sets and more. "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for go...
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Priscilla Mullins?
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Priscilla Mullins married John Alden in 1623 in Plymouth. Here you can learn more about her and get books, costumes, toys, paper dolls and other great items and resources.
Explore the history, customs, food, and symbols of Thanksgiving day.
The Thanksgiving Book: A Companion to the Holiday Covering Its History, Lore, Traditions, Foods, and Symbols, Including Pirmary Sources, Poems, Prayers, Songs, Hymns, and Recipes, Supplemented by a...
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The first section contains two essays that examine the history (beginning with the early settlers to America and the European influences on these people and covering through 2005) and food of this American tradition. The second part provides more than 50 chronologically arranged primary sources, which include the often-overlooked Native American perspective on the event. Documents (which are referenced in the opening essays) range from the Mayflower Compact to presidential proclamations: . Each document is introduced by a short paragraph placing it in historical context. The third section has recipes. Black-and-white photographs and archival drawings appear throughout. The bibliography is extensive.
Release Date: 12/31/1969
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My article: "The Power of Thanksgiving"
(and vice versa)" (By me: James M. Becher)
We are soon to celebrate once again the National Holiday known as "Thanksgiving day." We do this every year. Every year we gather together with friends and family for a feast of plenty and, hopefully pause to give thanks for all our bountiful blessings. But thanksgiving should not be relegated to only one day a year. In Psalm 107, it says over and over again, "Oh that men would give praise the Lord for His goodness" We should be thankful every day for the blessings God has given us. By giving thanks, we acknowledge God as a power greater than ourselves. We can see the handiwork of the creator around us in many ways every day. As Paul puts it in Romans 1:20 "the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by things that are made." And yet, some of us fail to acknowledge Him. If all we were left to was our own selves and our own abilities, we would be quite limited indeed. Human beings are finite and limited, but God is infinite and unlimited. He has endowed all of us with special talents and abilities, but we must admit that these are from Him, and that they, although wonderful, are limited. The only being with unlimited power and resources is God. By being thankful, we acknowledge His sovereign control over our lives and His power to change situations and give us more power and ability. To be unthankful to Him is limit our own potential even further than it already is, while to be thankful can cause an expansion of our abilities. Read more about Thankfulness and Gratitude
Developing a thankful heart
Giving Thanks: The Gifts of Gratitude
MJ Ryan has taught us that everything goes better with gratitude! In 1999, she wrote Attitudes of Gratitude, a popular, best-selling book that extols the benefits of living with a grateful heart. When we let ourselves feel and express our appreciation, we feel happier, younger, and healthier. Now Ryan has taken the essence of living a grateful life from the original book and paired it with beautiful and evocative images in Giving Thanks.
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Giving Thanks: Teachings and Meditations for Cultivating a Gratitude-Filled Heart (Inner Vision)
Iyanla Vanzant gently guides you into a state of remembrance itself through meditation and visualization exercises, awakening you to each of the gifts that surround you - but often go unnoticed. She also teaches listeners how to nourish this innate wisdom of appreciation and to sow the benefits of this simple yet transformative action.
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Giving Thanks: Graces for Every Occasion (Self-Counsel)
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The Attitude of Gratitude: Developing a Thankful Heart
(From introduction by author:) "The importance of this matter of gratitude can hardly be overstated. I have come to believe that there is nothing more becoming in a child of God than a grateful spirit. By the same token, there is probably nothing that makes a person more unattractive than the absence of a grateful spirit... When we choose the pathway of worship and giving thanks, especially in the midst of difficult circumstances, there is a fragrance, a radiance that issues forth out of our lives to bless the Lord and others. On the other hand, when we give in to whining, murmuring, and complaining, we end up on destructive slide that ultimately leads to bitterness and broken relationships... A grateful man or woman will be a breath of fresh air in a world contaminated by bitterness and discontentment."
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"On Thanksgiving day, we celebrate our dependance"
Other Lenses on givng thanks
Not just on Thanksgivng Day
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Give Thanks at Thanksgiving
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Thanksgiving is a perfect time to stop for a moment once a year and remember to give thanks. It's a time to be grateful for one's health, family, friends, job, home and having food on the table. Take a few moments as you read through this lens and to...
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Giving Thanks Every Day, Thanksgiving Year!
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Once again the United States finds another day of giving thanks before us, somewhere in the midst of eating food, food, and more food we are supposed to take the time to remember to be Thankful for what we have been given in this life. There are many...
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Give Thanks to God - Bible Verses of Thanksgiving
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Thanksgiving is not just a holiday for parades and turkeys. It is a day to stop and take inventory on all the blessings God has bestowed on you this year. It is a time to get together with your family and your friends, and it is a time to get togethe...
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Thanksgiving Prayer - A Family Tradition
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I have always enjoyed Thanksgiving and have many happy memories of our Tate Family on Thanksgiving. There are several special Thanksgivings that I remember very vividly. One was when Mom and Dad invited an older couple to join us explaining that the...
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Giving Thanks -- Each and Every Day
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Giving Thanks each and every day is a noble thought! Stop a minute and think about this! Giving thanks each and every day. What are you thankful for today? Who have you thanked? Who would you like to thank? I stopped for a moment today thanks to a fe...
A bit of Thoughtful Thanksgiving day Humor
Being Thankful FOR....A lesson for all of us. I am thankful:
because she is home with me, and not out with someone else.
For the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato,
because he is home with me and not out at the bars.
For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes
because it means she is at home, not on the streets.
For the taxes i pay
because it means i am employed.
For the mess to clean after a party
because it means i have been surrounded by friends.
For the clothes that fit a little too snug
because it means i have enough to eat.
For my shadow that watches me work
because it means i am out in the sunshine.
For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning,and gutters that need fixing
because it means i have a home.
For all the complaining I hear about the government
because it means we have freedom of speech..
For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot
because it means i am capable of walking
and i have been blessed with transportation.
For my huge heating bill because it means i am warm.
For the lady behind me in church who sings off key
because it means i can hear.
For the pile of laundry and ironing
because it means I have clothes to wear.
For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day
because it means i have been capable of working hard.
For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours
because it means i am alive.
And finally, for too much e-mail
because it means I have friends who are thinking of me.
Listen to and sing songs of Thanksgiving
And check out these Thanksgiving day items!
ABH Plymouth Rock Sticker (Rectangle 50 pk)
printed on 4mil vinyl using water and UV resistant inks - meaning no fading in the sun or bleeding in the rain.
Sticker (Rectangle 50 pk)
Price: 99.99
1909 Thanksgiving Greetings Cards (Pkof20)(Remake)
Remake of Vintage 1909 Thanksgiving Greetings
Greeting Cards (Pk of 20)
Price: 39.99
My Thanksgiving T-Shirt Women's Plus Size V-Neck D
Women's Plus Size Dark V-Neck T-Shirt
Price: 34.99
Reader Feedback
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Reply
- JaguarJulie JaguarJulie Nov 25, 2009 @ 3:37 pm
- Ah, yes that we might remember the true spirit of giving thanks at Thanksgiving -- and each and every other day of the year as well.
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Reply
- spirituality spirituality Nov 22, 2009 @ 5:24 am
- Great lens, but you knew that :) Just wanted to remind you that this is featured on the Christianity Headquarters: http://www.squidoo.com/groups/Christianity-religion
It's now transformed into a lensography and I would love it if you could feature it here, or lensroll it or something.
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Reply
- OhMe OhMe Nov 16, 2009 @ 7:19 pm
- Thank you for featuring my Thanksgiving Prayer lens. This is a beautiful Thanksgiving lens and you are blessed by a Squid Angel.
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Reply
- KathrynDarden KathrynDarden Nov 12, 2009 @ 8:04 pm
- Great lens!
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Reply
- eccles1 eccles1 Nov 11, 2009 @ 3:18 pm
- You have a nice way at looking at life !
Happy Thanksgiving
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