Origin of Thanksgiving

I think the story of the origin of Thanksgiving Day as we celebrate it annually is very interesting. To understand the motivation of the pilgrims' journey and the unity of the pilgrims and Indians is remarkable.



We'll begin the story of the origin of Thanksgiving at Plymouth, England on the 16th of September, 1620. The pilgrims had broken away from the church of England to continue the work of the Reformation. After deliberation, the congregation decided to travel to America.

A total of 102 pilgrims endured the more than two months of voyaging until they reached land called Provincetown, Massachusetts on November 21. They explored further and came to Plymouth Rock on December 21.

But before that, the settlers signed the "Mayflower Compact" on December 11. The Mayflower Compact was Plymouth Colony's first governing document which solidified their commitment to stick together and sacrifice where needed in order to carry out the advancement of the Christian faith by planting the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia.

During the frigid winter conditions, almost half of the pilgrims died. Those who survived persisted and with much prayer and help from Indians, they were able to reap a great harvest the following summer. Squanto, a native Indian, had taught the pilgrims how to grow their own food to survive.

That summer was a dry one. The pilgrims ordered a day of fasting and prayer and asked God for a bountiful harvest. At last, towards the end of that day, it rained, and their corn crops were saved.

First Thanksgiving Feast

Upon receiving the harvest that they clearly saw as a blessing from God, they called for a three-day feast. This began on December 13, 1621 and was a celebration with their Indian companions and of thanks to God. It was the Indians who helped the pilgrims learn how to grow crops such as corn, beans, and pumpkins.

There had been previous "Thanksgivings" in America (as early as in Virginia in 1607 which was more of a service), but this was America's first Thanksgiving Festival. 90 people, including Indians, were invited to this great feast organized to set aside special time to give their many thanks to God.

According to the testimony of the leader of the colony, their meal consisted of ducks, geese, deer, fish, berries, and other available foods. There is no account that I know of that they had turkey; or pumpkin pie because flour products were not readily obtained, although they most likely still ate cooked pumpkin.

The Thanksgiving Feast was not celebrated again until 1623, in which occurred another extreme drought.


History of Thanksgiving celebrations

• 1676: Governor Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving.
• 1777: All 13 colonies united to give thanks as well as celebrate victory over the British.
• 1789: President George Washington proclaimed that, for the first time, America as a whole celebrate a Day of Thanksgiving to God under its new constitution. Yet, official observances of Thanksgiving still did not typically occur in the homes across the nation. Mrs. Sarah Joseph Hale may have had much to do with the eventual making of an annual Thanksgiving Day. For three decades she brought the idea to several presidents.
• 1863: It wasn't until 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln assumed the desire to see it come to pass by setting aside the last Thursday of November as a national Day of Thanksgiving.
• 1941: Congress finally established the fourth Thursday of every November as a national holiday.I hope you find the origin of Thanksgiving as interesting as I did. A group of people felt a personal calling from God. They acted on it, endured hardships, found new friends, learned new skills, and set aside a day to honor and thank God which continues to this day.

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