Growing up, I was taught that the practice of Thanksgiving had originated in the United States in the year 1621, with the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians attending. This autumn harvest feast of giving thanks was to celebrate the Pilgrim’s plentiful fall harvest. The menu included corn, fruits, vegetables, fish packed in salt, meat that was smoke cured, and wild fowl.
The Governor of the Plymouth Colony, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of giving thanks to be shared by the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians as a way of celebrating the successful fall harvest. The practice continued through the years, with the Continental Congress suggesting it become a national holiday during the American Revolution in 1770.
It wasn’t until 1817 that the state of New York had adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom. By the mid 1800’s many other states also celebrated Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863 thanks to President Abraham Lincoln. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday.
Ancient practices of Thanksgiving
What I didn’t realize is that the spirit of Thanksgiving has been around for centuries. Many cultures had celebrated bountiful harvests with thanksgiving ceremonies and festivals. Ancient farmers once believed that their crops contained spirits, which were responsible for the crops growing or dieing. Believing these spirits were released during the harvest, some of the harvest festivals celebrated the defeat of these spirits.
The Greeks
Worshiping many gods and goddesses, the ancient Greeks goddess of grains was Demeter. The festival of Thesmosphoria honored Demeter each autumn.
During the first day of Thesmosphoria, married women would build leafy shelters furnishing them with couches made from plants. They would fast during the second day. On the third day a feast was held where offerings of seed corn, cakes, fruit, and pigs were made to the goddess Demeter. These offerings were made in the hope that Demeter would be pleased and her gratitude would grant them a good harvest.
The Romans
The Romans honored their goddess of grains, Ceres, during a harvest festival called Cerelia, (from which the word cereal comes). During this celebration the first fruits of the harvest and pigs were offered to Ceres, and included music, parades, games and sports. The festival of Cerelia was held on October 4th each year.
The Chinese
With the full moon which fell on August 15th, the ancient Chinese would celebrate Chung Ch’ui for 3 days. Their harvest festival was considered the birthday of the moon. Special “moon cakes”, would be baked and stamped with a depiction of a rabbit. The Chinese believed it was a rabbit and not a man they saw on the face of the moon.
Feasting on roasted pig, fruits and moon cakes, the Chinese believed that flowers would fall from the moon during the 3 day celebration. If you were lucky enough to see these falling flowers, you would be rewarded with good fortune.
Chung Ch’ui also gives thanks to another special occasion. Conquered by enemy armies who took control of the food and homes, the Chinese people found themselves homeless and with no food. In order to free themselves they decided to attack the invaders.
The women baked special moon cakes which were distributed to every family. Each cake contained a secret message with the time for the attack. When the time came the invaders were surprised and easily defeated. Every year moon cakes are eaten in memory of this victory.
The Hebrews
Jewish families have been celebrating a harvest festival each autumn called Sukkoth for over 3000 years.
Now known by 2 different names:
- Hag ha Succot is the Feast of the Tabernacles
- Hag ha Asif is the Feast of Ingathering
Lasting for 8 days, Sukkoth begins 5 days after Yom Kippur, on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishri.
Sukkoth is named after the huts, or succots, that Moses and the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years before they reached the Promised Land. Easy to transport and assemble as the Israelites wandered the desert, these huts were made of branches.
When celebrating Sukkoth, small huts of branches were built to recall the tabernacles of their ancestors. These huts are temporary shelters, and constructed with branches that are not driven into the ground and the roof is covered with foliage that is spaced to let the light in. Hanging fruits and vegetables inside the huts, during the first 2 nights of Sukkoth meals would be eaten in the huts.
The Egyptians
Min, the god of vegetation and fertility for the ancient Egyptions was honored through a harvest festival held in the springtime, which is the Egyption’s harvest season.
The Pharaoh would take part in a parade during the festival of Min, with a feast afterwards. The celebrations included music, dancing and sports.
The Egyptian farmers believed that a spirit lived in the corn they grew, and would pretend to be grief-stricken when harvesting their crops. This was meant to deceive the spirit which they feared would become angry as the farmers harvested their corn.
Canada
Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October, the observance of thanksgiving day began in 1879.
Do you practice Thanksgiving Day? Do you have special traditions you observe during this time? Let us know!
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–>We celebrate Canadian and American Thanksgiving in my house. My Mom is from Ottawa and my Dad from Ohio so it’s a good excuse to have a big meal two times a year. Not that we really need an excuse….
Nothing special here…We Cook, give thanks and Eat!Hahaa…Have a great week!
Donna (Texas)´s last blog ..OK, It’s Officially Thanksgiving in Here!