Should Americans be sharing their bountiful feast of Thanksgiving or should we have one day to ourselves?
Before going ashore, 41 of the men on the Mayflower drafted up a governing document known as the Mayflower Compact. In it, they described why they had come to the New Land and how they were going to govern themselves. Among those signing this historic document was Edward Winslow, a man who penned one of the few existing descriptions of the first Thanksgiving in Massachusetts. Thanksgiving Day is inextricably linked to our nation’s founding by Christians. The Pilgrims had come here to worship God in the way He had shown them. They came to serve God and to establish a government based upon biblical principles. The basis of our system of government is founded upon the Mayflower Compact. It is a legal document with a strong Christian emphasis. Sources: http://www.traditionalvalues.
Thanksgiving Day is a joyous family festival celebrated with lot of enthusiasm in US, Canada and several other countries. Thanksgiving Day Festival commemorates the feast held by the Pilgrim colonists and members of the Wampanoag people at Plymouth in 1621. On this day people express gratitude to God for his blessings and give thanks to dear ones for their love & support. Feasting with family is an integral & most delightful part of Thanksgiving Day celebrations. Sources: http://www.thanksgiving-day.
According to History.com, the first feast was a religious holiday set aside to thank God for a bountiful crop after a hard winter, during which most of the colony perished. The Native Americans were invited to the feast because they helped the Pilgrims learn how to plant crops. Days of thanksgiving were a special event in Pilgrim life in which they set aside a day (or three in the case of the feast with which our holiday is associated) to thank God for a special event, like a bountiful harvest or victory in battle. Many times, the event was a solemn day in which participants went to church and formally thanked God. Thanksgiving has changed a lot since 1621. Now Americans have set aside one day a year, and religion does not play a huge part.
