What Was the Reason for the First Thanksgiving?
The story of the feast shared by the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians in Massachusetts has become an American legend, seen by many as the basis for our annual Thanksgiving holiday. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
Facts
-
The original 1621 feast lasted three days, sometime between September 21 and November 11, according to History.com. After the first harvest was completed, Governor Bradford declared a day of thanksgiving and prayer.
Myths
-
It is a myth that this "first Thanksgiving" was the beginning of our traditional annual holiday. The meal shared between the pilgrims and the Wampanoags was a secular harvest feast. The pilgrims did periodically proclaim days of thanksgiving, but such observances were spent in prayer.
-
English Harvest Traditions
-
The Plymouth colonists were recreating a traditional harvest celebration, such as they had known back in England, where feasting followed the bringing in of crops.
Wampanoag Traditions
-
The concept of "thanksgiving" was not new to the Wampanoag. Giving thanks for harvested plants or hunted food was one of the prime reasons for Native American ceremonies or feasts, according to the Plimoth Plantation website.
Edward Winslow's Letter
-
The only firsthand source describing the harvest feast is a letter written by Edward Winslow in 1621 to friends in England. The colonists' thankfulness for the bounteous harvest is apparent, though "thanksgiving" to God was not the purpose of the feast: "And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Keith Tyler
