Thanksgiving Traditions

THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS

the tradition of Thanksgiving started in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts between the Pilgrims and around 90 Wampanoag Indians. The Pilgrims had come to the New World in 1620 and were not prepared for the changes. They had no food and their shelter was not sufficient to outlast the long., hard winters. The Wampanoag Indians, headed by clan chief Massasoit, came upon Miles Standish and his followers. He had saw that the Pilgrims were in need of help. The Wampanoag Indians, together with the Pilgrims had learned to farm and plant the land. The Indians also taught them how to fish and build sturdier houses.

The fall of 1621 boasted plentiful harvest for the Pilgrims. For all the work and teaching from the Wampanoag, the Pilgrims had decided to give their thanks to them and have a celebration. The Wampanoag had brought with them deer and Indian Corn for the celebration. This dinner lasted for 3 days. The dinner had boasted such items as nuts and fruits, goose, fowl, partridge and seafood. Both the Wampanoag and Pilgrims pledged peace and friendship amongst each other. This lasted through their time together until more settlers came and took over the land.

The first official Thanksgiving Proclamation is on record as being July 20, 1676, in Charles town, Massachusetts. The governing council instructed the clerk, Edwin Lawson to proclaim June 29th as Thanksgiving Day. During the Revolutionary War, the soldiers celebrated for 8 days to give thanks for their observed victories.

However, in 1789, President George Washington issued a general proclamation assigning November 26th as National Thanksgiving Day. New York embraced this holiday in 1830 and had an official Thanksgiving Day. In 1855, Virginia became the 1st southern state to adopt the holiday. Later provisions in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln, he proclaimed the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. This, he stated, was a “day to give thanks and praise.”

Seventy-five years after President Lincoln proclaimed the date, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, felt it just to again change the date of the holiday. He proclaimed the 3rd Thursday in November to be Thanksgiving Day. He felt that businesses during this time would benefit from the extension of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.