Thanksgiving is the oldest American holiday. Although we generally attribute the First Thanksgiving to the Pilgrims in 1621, several other special times of thanksgiving preceded it on land that would eventually become part of America. In 1541 at Palo Duro Canyon, Texas, Coronado and 1,500 of his men celebrated a time of thanksgiving to God for His blessings. In 1564 at St. Augustine, Florida, French colonists also engaged in a special time of thanksgiving to God. In 1598 in El Paso, Texas, Juan de Oriate and his expedition held a similar celebration to God. In 1619 in Virginia, the Jamestown settlers held an official Thanksgiving celebration. The Pilgrims The first Pilgrim Thanksgiving in 1621 with Samoset, Squanto, and their other Indian friends and benefactors, was not the most dramatic Pilgrim Thanksgiving. The most dramatic Thanksgiving occured two years later. During that summer, the Pilgrims suffered a severe and extended time of drought. They knew that without a change in the weather, there would be no fall harvest. The winter would surely bring severe starvation and death to their community. Therefore, Gov. William Bradford gathered the Pilgrims together for a time of prayer and fasting. Shortly thereafter, a gentle rain began to fall. Governor Bradford explained in his History of Plymouth Plantation: [The rain] came without either wind or thunder or any violence, and by degrees in abundance, as that ye earth was thoroughly wet and soaked therewith, which did so apparently revive and quicken ye decayed corn and other fruits as was wonderful to see, and made ye Indians astonished to behold; and afterwards the Lord sent them such seasonable showers, with interchange of fair warm weather as, through His blessing, caused a fruitful and liberal harvest, to their no small comfort and rejoicing. The rain saved the corn. One of the Indians who observed this miracle remarked: Now I see that the Englishman’s God is a good God; for he hath heard you, and sent you rain, and that without such tempest and thunder as we used to have with our rain; which after our Powawing for it, breaks down the corn; whereas your corn stands whole and good still; surely, your God is a good God. The drought had been broken; there was an abundant harvest—-cause for yet another Thanksgiving. The Pilgrim practice of designating an official time of Thanksgiving quickly spread throughout the other New England colonies as annual traditions were established of prayer and fasting in the spring, followed by prayer and thanksgiving in the fall.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 01:04:14 +0000
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