What does the word "thanksgiving" mean? Thanksgiving is the expression of gratitude and the giving of thanks. Being thankful is a feeling and a showing of gratitude. To praise means to verbally express your admiration, to honor and to glorify with song. Being grateful is feeling and showing appreciation for the kindness and benefits that God has given YOU!
What
are YOU thankful for this year? Take time to count every
blessing and to give thanks to the Lord for all He has
done for YOU!
Thanksgiving Day , legal holiday in the U.S., first celebrated in early colonial times in New England. The actual origin, however, is probably the harvest festivals that are traditional in many parts of the world Festivals and Feasts. After the first harvest was completed by the Plymouth colonists in 1621, Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer, shared by all the colonists and neighboring Native Americans.
"And another angel came out of
the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on
the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time
is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the
earth is ripe." Definition of harvest: the gathering of ripe crops, the crops or the amount so gathered, or the season in which they are gathered.
In 1623 a day of fasting and prayer during a period of drought was changed to one of thanksgiving because the rain came during the prayers. Gradually the custom prevailed in New England of annually celebrating thanksgiving after the harvest. Visit
New
England!
During the American Revolution a yearly day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress. In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom, and by the middle of the 19th century many other states had done the same. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a day of thanksgiving, and since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, generally designating the fourth Thursday of November as a holiday. Thanksgiving is a statutory holiday in Canada, celebrated, since 1957, on the second Monday in October. Observance of the day began in 1879. "Thanksgiving Day,"Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Separatists, dissenters who withdrew from the Church of Englandduring the 16th and 17th centuries because of their dissatisfaction with the ritual used in worship and with the state control of religion in England. The English clergyman Robert Browne was influential among them, and his followers came to be known as Brownists. His writings contain perhaps the earliest statement of Congregational principles Congregationalism. In the 17th century the Separatists became known as Independents; their congregational system was brought to America by thePilgrims Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia.1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Puritanism, a movement arising within the Church of England in the latter part of the 16th century, which sought to carry the reformation of that church beyond the point represented by the Elizabethan settlement , an attempt to establish a middle course between Roman Catholicism and the ideas of the Protestant reformers Church of England. It had a continuous life within the church until the Stuart Restoration. "Puritanism,"Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. The Puritans wanted to "purify" the Church of England. The Separatists wanted to separate ENTIRELY from the Church of England. Order a coloring book from Dover to illustrate this period in history to your children.
Mayflower Compact , first colonial agreement that formed a government by the consent of the governed. The Mayflower Compact was signed in 1620 by Pilgrims, English people hoping to establish a settlement in North America. The agreement was completed on the ship Mayflower,which was anchored off the coast of Massachusetts. The
Mayflower that
brought the Pilgrims to America was never used again as a
passenger ship.
The compact gave the settlers the power to frame and enact laws for the general good of the planned settlement. Most of the Pilgrimswere members of the Separatist congregation that had split from the Church of England. However, some were not, and these people sought independence from the Separatists. To prevent this, Separatist leaders wrote the compact, which was modeled after the covenant that had established their Separatist faith. Each male adult signed the document. The signers agreed to follow all just and equal laws that the settlers enacted and to be ruled by the will of the majority. Plymouth Colony did not receive an English royal charter, and so the compact determined governmental authority in the colony until it became part of the Massachusetts colony in 1691."Mayflower Compact," Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Did you know that of the 102
original Pilgrims that 47 died the first winter?
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Thanksgiving is a time for families to create traditions and memories that last a lifetime. When planning your family's festivities, be sure and include your children in the planning. Children can help prepare the Thanksgiving Day decorations, table settings, and the actual feast itself!
"O give thanks unto the LORD; for [he is] good; for his mercy [endureth] for ever." 1 Chronicles 16:34 ~~~ What are you thankful
for this year? ~~~
Say a prayer of Thanksgiving to God for all of your blessings. Create A Memory!
"Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me" Matthew 25:45 Show your thankfulness to
the Lord by sharing
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"I will give thanks unto thee; For I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well." Psalms 139:14
Name That Pilgrim!!! William Brewster was born, probably in Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, ca.1566 and died in Plymouth on April 10, 1644. He served as Elder of the Separatist church both in Leiden and Plymouth Colony. Brewster was one of the leading figures in Pilgrim history and served for many years as the religious leader of Plymouth Colony in the absence of a minster.
John Carver, was born in the year 1576, and died on Apr. 5, 1621. He was one of the Pilgrim Fathers, and was the first governor of Plymouth Colony. A wealthy merchant, he helped arrange the Pilgrims' emigration to America in 1620, chartering the Mayflower. He was governor for less than a year before his death.
William Bradford was one of the leaders of the pilgrims who established Plymouth Colony. He was governor for over 30 years. He wrote an account of the history of Plymouth Plantation from the years 1620 through 1647 and this account is a minor classic that reflects the unusual qualities of the man and the values of the small group of English separatists who became known as the Pilgrims. He was born in March 1590 and was self-taught. When he was a young man, he joined Puritan groups that met illegally in Scrooby and was a member of that congregation when it separated from the Church of England in 1606. William Bradford took control and responsibility for arranging the details of the emigration to America. The term "pilgrim" comes from his description of himself. Bradford became governor in April of 1621 and was reelected 30 times. He died on May 9th or 19th in the year 1657.
Myles Standish was born in 1584. He was hired by the Pilgrims as military advisor for their Plymouth colony in America. When he arrived on the Mayflower he focused his efforts on defending the colony and with Indians relations. Standish also served as one of the governor's assitants and as the colony's treasurer. He also was one of the founders of the town of Duxbury, Massachussettes. He is best remembered in the poem by Henry Longfellow: "The Courtship of Miles Standish."
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Native Americans and Thanksgiving When the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1620, they landed on the rocky shores of a territory that had been previously inhabited by the Wampanoag (Wam pa NO ag) Indians. The Wampanoags were part of the Algonkian-speaking peoples, a large group that was part of the Woodland Culture area. These Indians lived in villages along the coast of what is now Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They lived in round- roofed houses called wigwams. These were made of poles covered with flat sheets of elm or birch bark. Wigwams differ in construction from tipis that were used by Indians of the Great Plains.
The Wampanoags moved several times during each year in order to get food. In the spring they would fish in the rivers for salmon and herring. In the planting season they moved to the forest to hunt deer and other animals. After the end of the hunting season people moved inland where there was greater protection from the weather. From December to April they lived on food that they stored during the earlier months.
The basic dress for men was the breech clout, a length of deerskin looped over a belt in back and in front. Women wore deerskin wrap-around skirts. Deerskin leggings and fur capes made from deer, beaver, otter, and bear skins gave protection during the colder seasons, and deerskin moccasins were worn on the feet. Both men and women usually braided their hair and a single feather was often worn in the back of the hair by men. They did not have the large feathered headdresses worn by people in the Plains Culture area.
The Wampanoags also treated each other with respect. Any visitor to a Wampanoag home was provided with a share of whatever food the family had, even if the supply was low. This same courtesy was extended to the Pilgrims when they met. We can only guess what the Wampanoags must have thought when they first saw the strange ships of the Pilgrims arriving at the shore. But their custom was to help visitors, and they treated the newcomers with courtesy.
The kindness bestowned by the Wampanoags helped the pilgrims to survive. The wheat the Pilgrims had brought with them to plant would not grow in the rocky soil. They needed to learn new ways for a new world, and the man who came to help them was called "Tisquantum" (Tis SKWAN tum) or "Squanto" (SKWAN toe). Squanto was originally from the village of Patuxet (Pa TUK et) and a member of the Pokanokit Wampanoag nation. Patuxet once stood on the exact site where the Pilgrims built Plymouth.
In 1605, fifteen years before the Pilgrims came, Squanto went to England with a friendly English explorer named John Weymouth. He had many adventures and learned to speak English. Squanto came back to New England with Captain Weymouth. Later Squanto was captured by a British slaver who raided the village and sold Squanto to the Spanish in the Caribbean Islands. A Spanish Franciscan priest befriended Squanto and helped him to get to Spain and later on a ship to England. Squanto then found Captain Weymouth, who paid his way back to his homeland.
Squanto was hunting along the beach near Patuxet. He was startled to see people from England in his deserted village. For several days, he stayed nearby observing the newcomers. Finally he decided to approach them. He walked into the village and said "welcome," The Pilgrims were very surprised to meet two Indians who spoke English.
The Pilgrims were not in good condition. They were living in dirt-covered shelters, there was a shortage of food, and nearly half of them had died during the winter. They obviously needed help and the two men were a welcome sight. Squanto, who probably knew more English than any other Indian in North America at that time, decided to stay with the Pilgrims for the next few months and teach them how to survive in this new place. He brought them deer meat and beaver skins. He taught them how to cultivate corn and other new vegetables and how to build Indian-style houses. He pointed out poisonous plants and showed how other plants could be used as medicine. He explained how to dig and cook clams, how to get sap from the maple trees, use fish for fertilizer, and dozens of other skills needed for their survival.
By the time fall arrived things were going much better for the Pilgrims, thanks to the help they had received. The corn they planted had grown well. There was enough food to last the winter. They were living comfortably in their Indian-style wigwams and had also managed to build one European-style building out of squared logs. This was their church. They were now in better health, and they knew more about surviving in this new land. The Pilgrims decided to have a thanksgiving feast to celebrate their good fortune. They had observed thanksgiving feasts in November as religious obligations in England for many years before coming to the New World.
Captain Miles Standish, the leader of the Pilgrims, invited Squanto, Samoset, Massasoit (the leader of the Wampanoags), and their immediate families to join them for a celebration, but they had no idea how big Indian families could be. As the Thanksgiving feast began, the Pilgrims were overwhelmed at the large turnout of ninety relatives that Squanto and Samoset brought with them. The Pilgrims were not prepared to feed a gathering of people that large for three days. Seeing this, Massasoit gave orders to his men within the first hour of his arrival to go home and get more food. Thus it happened that the Indians supplied the majority of the food: Five deer, many wild turkeys, fish, beans, squash, corn soup, corn bread, and berries. Captain Standish sat at one end of a long table and the Clan Chief Massasoit sat at the other end. For the first time the Wampanoag people were sitting at a table to eat instead of on mats or furs spread on the ground. The Indian women sat together with the Indian men to eat. The Pilgrim women, however, stood quietly behind the table and waited until after their men had eaten, since that was their custom.
For three days the Wampanoags feasted with the Pilgrims. It was a special time of friendship between two very different groups of people. A peace and friendship agreement was made between Massasoit and Miles Standish giving the Pilgrims the clearing in the forest where the old Patuxet village once stood to build their new town of Plymouth. Thanksgiving Story
When the Pilgrims settled in Plymouth, they settled in an area that the Indians called Patuxet. The Paxatuxet tribe was no longer living in this are because the tribe had been wiped out by a 1618 plague. The only survivor was Squanto. The Wampanoags never challenged the Pilgrim's building Plymouth on the land until 75 years later. The Pilgrims had the "First" Thanksgiving, but it was never made into an annual event.
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"but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57
4 week Countdown to the Holidays!
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An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by
Louisa Alcott.
Virtual Tour of the Plimouth (Plymouth) Plantation Stroll through the ages at Plymouth MA George Washington's 1789 Proclamation Too Tired to Cook! Send someone a Virtual Meal!
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From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!
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"Enter into his gates with 
Thanksgiving is November 25,
1999! 
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