E-TIDBIT OF THE DAY: Thanksgiving Day

Today we are celebrating Thanksgiving Day!!

Thanksgiving Day is a major federal holiday that has been celebrated ever since 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficient Father who dwelleth in the Heavens", during the civil war. In 1789, George Washington proclaimed it a national celebration, but it was not yet a federal holiday. It is observed on the last Thursday of November.

The Embarkation of the Pilgrims
By American painter Robert Walter Weir
Painting: Public Domain

The English Pilgrims (as they were to be called) separated themselves from the established Church of England, supporting the Protestant Reformation. Under Oliver Cromwell's leadership the monarchy was for a time replaced by a republic which included England, Ireland and Scotland. Later, when the monarchy was reestablished, the Pilgrims (my family's forefathers) left England for the New World in search of religious freedom. In 1620, the Pilgrims founded the Plymouth colony in what is today Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

Royalty Free Stock Images
dreamstime.com

The First Thanksgiving feast was celebrated by the Pilgrims for three days for God's blessing on their very first harvest in the New World in 1621. Fifty-three Pilgrims were joined by ninety Native Americans for the feast. Days of prayer thanking the Lord God were a regular practice of the new Americans. About two and a half centuries later, Thanksgiving Day was declared a major federal holiday in the United States.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States) 

It is also celebrated in Canada on the second Monday of the month of October, however many Canadian families choose to have Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday because of the convenience of the weekend.

Horn of Plenty
itsdaybyday.com

Thanksgiving (today referred to also as "Turkey Day") is celebrated with the traditional Thanksgiving Dinner in homes as an expression of the "Horn of Plenty", the abundance of the first harvest of the Pilgrims in the New World and by Thanksgiving Day Parades in many cities. 

The Thanksgiving Dinner traditionally has turkey; ham; mashed potatoes; gravy (made from the juices of the cooked turkey); caramelized yams; turkey dressing made of bread chunks, onions, and spices (part of the dressing is placed inside the turkey before going into the oven); cranberry sauce, hot bread rolls, green beans, jello salads and more.  It is a time to be with family and friends and to just have a great time thanking God for his provision. Even those who do not necessarily thank God, celebrate this day. It is part of the American heritage. 

Happy Thanksgiving!