Give Thanks! But Why Do We Do It On Thanksgiving? Learn Why...
Give Thanks To All The Things That Truly Matter:
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! It is a great day to stop and truly be grateful for every thing that you have in your life! It is a day to thank your family and friends for being so wonderful and recognize how blessed you truly are to have all the positive things that you have in your life!
In our everyday rat race, we forget to appreciate all of these wonderful things that we have in our life, and yes we should be appreciating these things everyday! But hey, we are not perfect!
But today for sure, we should really give thanks in everything that we have!
Even though we may recognize the importance of Thanksgiving some of us may not really know why it is celebrated so we will also fill you in on some history!
It is widely believed the "First Thanksgiving" was held in 1621 between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans, after suffering through a hard winter. But historians disagree, in fact the Pilgrims may not have been even the first few groups to celebrate Thanksgiving...
States like Florida, Maine, Texas, and Virginia each claim to the have had the First Thanksgiving celebrated within its boundaries. It will also be that for each state making that claim there are numerous historical documents to back it up.
Even though multiple states make that claim, it is widely believed that this holiday began in New England, and then slowly spread throughout rest of the country. In the 1800’s there was even a pamphlet discovered from 1621 describing and documenting the celebration in Plymouth. Therefore Plymouth has been mainly thought of as the site of the “First Thanksgiving,” but historians will disagree…
Many historians trace Thanksgiving back to 1541 in Canyon, Texas. According to Library of Congress, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado guided a large number of people due north from Mexico City in search of gold. Where they set up camp in May of 1541 is what we now call Texas. After entering through the canyon with great difficulty he held a feast, which Francisco Vasquez de Coronado proclaimed as a day for prayer and feasting. Many historians believe was the “First Thanksgiving.”
Also according to Library of Congress, French Huguenot colonists in Jacksonville, Florida gave thanks and celebrated in 1564. A year later, the Spanish raiding party destroyed their colonies.
Texas State Historical Association claims that Spanish colonist named Juan de Onate and about 400 people spent many months traveling to the city of Rio Grande. It was on April 30, 1598 they held a feast to give thanks after they had took possession of the territory, which had been drained by Rio Grande.
It is also believed that a colonist named Sir John Popham along with others celebrated Thanksgiving on August 9, 1607 after their arrival in the New World. A 1983 news article in Bangor Daily News also lays claims to how this Thanksgiving held by Popham is often forgotten.
Virginius Dabney, an editor in the 1950’s writes in great detail about the Thanksgiving of 1610. After arriving in the New World in 1607, over 80% of the colonists in Jamestown perished due to lack of food. However in the spring of 1610, after getting their food supply replenished from the arrival of ships from England, the survivors held another Thanksgiving.
According to Virginia Historical Society, after 38 Englishmen on the “Good Ship Margaret” had reached the safety of land in the New World, they held a prayer to give thanks for a safe passage.
The most widely known First Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts. After arriving in Massachusetts in 1620, the pilgrims went through an extremely harsh winter. In fall of 1621 they gave thanks to an exceptionally good harvest, and organized a feast in which they shared meals with Native Americans. In a 1962 proclamation on Thanksgiving, President Kennedy even gave the pilgrims the credit for having held the "First Thanksgiving" of the country.
Whatever the reason or the history behind it may be, one thing stays the same. That is the core reason to give thanks! So give thanks to the good fortune, the wonderful life, the lovely family and friends we all have! Enjoy your Thanksgiving everyone, and be thankful for all the wonderful things you have in your life!