Thanksgiving Origins

Another Thanksgiving Day has come and gone, leaving the Wayfarer in a state of well being – or rather over done - from the abundance of the feeding trough, metaphorically speaking.  While reclining after over-indulgence thoughts of Thanksgiving origins found their way through the maze of memories becoming the focal point for contemplation.  No doubt you are familiar with the story of the first Thanksgiving celebrated by the Pilgrims, with its subsequent Presidential Proclamation making it an Annual National Holiday.  But do you know where the concept for Thanksgiving originated with the Pilgrims?

While doing a little research (very little, I might add) here is what was discovered on http://www.ritualwell.org/ritual/sukkot-food-traditions :  “Prior to making their way to the New World, the Pilgrims, themselves the victims of religious persecution, spent several years among Sephardic Jews in Holland. When they later celebrated the legendary first Thanksgiving, their conscious frame of reference was Sukkot.”

Sukkot is also known as the Feast of Tabernacles which the Lord had instituted in Leviticus 23 and was to be celebrated for eight days after the fall harvest.  They were commanded to be joyful during this feast – in other words to “party on!”  They offered thanks for the abundance of the harvest and for the expected abundance in the coming year.  There is much more to this particular holiday than what I am describing here, but the main thing is the concept of joy and thanksgiving.  One of the symbols used during Sukkot is the Cornucopia, or “Horn of Plenty”, which has been adopted by North America.

Thanksgiving is the time set apart for family and friends to gather together to partake in a festive feast and offer thanks for the blessings bestowed upon them through the year.  A time when great memories are made, relationships strengthened and hard times briefly put aside.  For many, especially adults, this has become the favorite holiday of the year, surpassing Christmas.

It originated as a Holy Day (from which we derive the term “holiday”) to be recognized as a day set apart to honor God with thankfulness for the abundant blessings He has given His people.  Unfortunately for many that tradition has been minimized, if not forgotten as they observe other events and activities, replacing gratitude with greed and frivolity.  Thanksgiving Day Parades and Football Games take priority over thankfulness.  Black Friday has been established in recent years in which many anticipate more than Thanksgiving, with it now beginning the night of Thanksgiving.  Commerce now preempts Thanksgiving with their enticements, fostering more greed as many cannot be satisfied with the abundance they already have.

These musings are not meant to put a sour note on this special holiday but rather to maintain awareness to the importance of Thanksgiving.  The question is should Black Friday be put aside for at least a week, if not completely, so not to detract from Thanksgiving?  That’s not likely to happen given the climate of our society today.  However, we can choose to either participate in the madness or ignore it altogether.

Here’s hoping your Thanksgiving Day was spent in giving thanks to the Heavenly Father for your many blessings while enjoying the festivities of the holiday with friends and family.

Shalom