What is Thanksgiving in modern America?
Today, I will give three reasons Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. Is it because we as Americans are truly grateful or is it because it’s a tradition. For me it’s a little of both. Before I do that I will explain what is Thanksgiving Day? Why is Thanksgiving celebrated? Why do only Americans celebrate it? In my opinion Thanksgiving Day is celebrated for three main reasons-history, holiday and an hour of gratitude.
What is Thanksgiving Day ?
Thanksgiving Day celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the past year. Americans generally believe that their Thanksgiving is modeled on a 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists (Pilgrims) of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people.
The American holiday is particularly rich in legend and symbolism, and the traditional fare of the Thanksgiving meal typically includes turkey, bread stuffing, potatoes, cranberries, and pumpkin pie.
Why Do We Celebrate Thanksgiving Day in the USA? Click To TweetWhy is Thanksgiving celebrated?
Thanksgiving Day in the United States is often traced back to 1621 when the Plymouth Colony settlers and the Wampanoag shared a meal celebrating the harvest.
Their trial began in 1620 with the voyage of the storied Mayflower, a 65-day-long ordeal in which 102 men, women, and children crossed the stormy Atlantic in a space the size of a city bus.
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The Pilgrims surviving & could celebrate in this setting is a testimony to human resilience and heavenly hope.
Remembering the Pilgrims’ story is a lot like that, although the testimony comes to us not from across the room but across the centuries.
And although it is not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.
Edward Winslow
The History of Thanksgiving is the First Reason to celebrate it
So, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated because of its history.
Plymouth’s Thanksgiving began with a few colonists going out “fowling,” possibly for turkeys but more probably for the easier prey of geese and ducks, since they “in one day killed as much as…served the company almost a week.”
Second Reason to celebrate Thanksgiving is- it being a Holiday
As we all know it’s difficult to celebrate anything as a family if it isn’t a holiday! At least for us. Every day we get up -and up we go to work till 7 pm which only leaves weekends for some relaxing & mental health.
Sarah Josepha Hale and President Abraham Lincoln are to be credited for that feat.
Sarah Josepha Hale, campaigned for a national Thanksgiving Day to promote unity which as relevant today as it was then.
It had to be a woman and that makes me so proud of her. She finally won the support of President Abraham Lincoln.
On October 3, 1863, during the Civil War, Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26.
The holiday was annually proclaimed by every president thereafter, and the date chosen, with few exceptions, was the last Thursday in November.
With respect to vehicular travel, the holiday is often the busiest of the year, as family members gather with one another.
This year in 2022 Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on Thursday, November 24.
Third Reason to Celebrate Thanksgiving is a moment of ‘gratitude’
The most important reason to celebrate Thanksgiving is to be ‘Thankful”.
I love to celebrate Thanksgiving because it reminds me of all that I or should I say we have as a family. When I look around me I realize I have a lot to be grateful for. Right from a a loving & caring husband to my good health and a great job.
What’s wrong with being grateful?
Gratitude is an attitude.
Giving thanks is an action. Gratitude appreciates the blessings in one’s life, but on its own, it is insufficient. Americans in spite of being the most advanced people on earth are very traditional Christians at heart. They work hard, live a great life and thank God for their blessings.
Why Do We Celebrate Thanksgiving Day in the USA? Click To TweetFinally, Thanksgiving & Gratitude a special Day in the USA
As Christians, we can reclaim Thanksgiving — rather than just being a day where we eat too much and strategize our Black Friday sales plan of attack — we can go back to our historical and spiritual roots as we thank God.
We can follow President Abraham Lincoln’s example by repenting and asking for God’s forgiveness for our personal sins and our nation’s perverseness.
We should seek to reconcile with others and apologize for the harm we have caused. Our actions should reflect our grateful hearts. We should thank God for the people that are in our lives.
We can acknowledge God’s blessings as we enjoy a meal with friends and family. And ONLY Americans do that for which we can all be proud of.
Saying “thank you” by praising Him, worshiping Him, and honoring Him for what He has done for us is an appropriate response to God’s kindness.
Having lived abroad I know Christians especially Americans, are the most generous people in the world. In my opinion the lands of America are really so blessed and bountiful that if Americans were to cut themselves off from the rest of the world they will still survive and and thrive but the rest of the world might not!
What are your thoughts?
As a reader of this blog what do you think of Thanksgiving Day?
Do you celebrate it? What is your favorite memory of Thanksgiving. Do you think Thanksgiving tradition is as Americana as apple pie or Bigfoot? or has it been commercialized?
Conclusion
To conclude there are three reasons that Thanksgiving Day is celebrated with zeal in the USA. Though Thanksgiving celebrations started with a simple act of sharing a meal with family among settlers and Wampanoag it’s now a a cherished holiday. A holiday that gives family time to get together, share a meal & offer thanks to the Lord almighty. Here you have it-my three reasons that Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalm 107:1
