Thanksgiving In The New World

For thousands of years, people have set aside a day to celebrate the autumn harvest, giving thanks for a plentiful growing season. Ancient Hebrews held a special eight-day feast to celebrate their harvest season. People in ancient Greece dedicated a nine-day harvest festival to “Demeter”, the goddess of agriculture. (Pilgrims) Similarly, pre-Christian Europeans marked a good harvest with a large feast before crops were gathered and stored for the winter. Celebrations surrounding the autumn harvest have continued throughout history, and many modern cultures have set aside a specific day to give thanks. The date and customs may vary from country to country, but the desire to take time and reflect on life's blessings remains the same (Festivals and Feasts). In the United States, this day of thanks is called Thanksgiving. It is a national holiday observed on the fourth Thursday of November. On this day, family and friends get together for a feast to celebrate their good fortune, relax and enjoy one another's company. It is also the unofficial beginning of the winter holiday season

Anyway, I could feel many things about Thanksgiving Day. Especially, after quite a bit of contemplation, although the celebration was good-natured, this event truly signifies the beginning of a drastic decline of native culture and Thanksgiving would be more fittingly observed as a day of mourning rather than a celebration. So, as we sit down for our Thanksgiving dinner, let us consider and look back upon to what happened to the American Natives when the Pilgrims arrived and welcome them with open arms, little knowing it was the beginning of the end. Ok, maybe I was a little drastic but somehow that doesn’t leave a very festive taste in my mouth.

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