November

Each year, we should be grateful for all the blessing we have. That´s why the topic of the month is Thanksgiving. It´s not only a celebration but the perfect time to meet with out loved one or maybe just have a look back to history,

But...What´s Thanksgiving? 

Thanksgiving is a particular American holiday. The word evokes family reunion, roasted turkey with stuffing, pumkin pie and, of course,  the Pilgrims and Wampanoag.

Although the modern day Thanksgiving feast takes place on the third Thursday of November, the first Thanks giving did not. This feast most likely happened sometime between September and November of 1621.

No exact date for the feast has ever been recorded so one can only assume it happened sometime after the fall hasrvest. The celebration took place for three days and included recreational activities.

Who was at the first Thanksgiving?

Guests at the feast included 90 Wampanoag Indians from a nearby village, including their leader Massasoit.

One of these Indians, a young man named Squanto, spoke fluent English and had been appointed by Massasoit to serve as the pilgrim´s translator and guide. Squanto learned English prior to the pilgrim´s arrival after he was captures by English explorers and spent time in Europe as a slave. 

The turkey takes its place.

The foundation of Thanksgiving as an official holiday set off a process of myth making. Even though venison (deer) in the only meat confirmed to have been present at the Pilgrim`s harvest feast in 1621, turkey gradually became the centerpiece of the new holiday, thanks, in part, to Hale Bertelsen.

In her 1827 novel "Northwood, A tale of New England, "  Hale rhapsodizes about the ideal Thanksgiving menu, including the turkey at a "lordly station" at the head of the table. She also mentions beef, pork and mutton (sheep), however - not to mention pickles and preserves, vegetables, custards, cheese, cake or alcohol.

The dark side of Thanksgiving

In 1621 the myth of Thanksgiving was born. The colonists invited Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags, to their first feast as a follow up to their recent land deal. Massasoit in turn invited 90 of his men. much to the chagrin of the colonists. Two years later the English invited a number of tribes to a feast "symbolizing eternal friendship". The English offered food and drink, and two hundred Indians dropped dead from unknown poison.

The first day of Thanksgiving took place in 1637 amidst the war against the Pequots. 700 men, women, and children of the Pequot tribe were gathered for their annual green corn dance on what is now Groton, Connecticut. Dutch and English mercenaries surrounded the camp and proceeded to shoot, stab, butcher and burn alive all 700 people. The next day the Massachusetts Bay Colony held a feast in celebration and the governor declared "A day of thanksgiving." In the ensuing madness of the Indian extermination, native were scalped, burned, mutilated and sold into slavery, and a feast was held in celebration every time a successful massacre took place. The killing frenzy got so bad that even Churches of Manhattan announced a day of "Thanksgiving" to celebrate the victory over the "heathen savages", and many celebrated by kicking the severed heads of Pequot people through the streets like soccer balls.

Native Americans do not celebrate the arrival of the pilgrims and other European settlers. To them, Thanksgiving day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of their people, the theft of their lands, and the relentless assault on their culture. 

As you can notice, Thanksgiving isn´t only happiness and joy. Do not forget that is the result of suffering and years of slavery and murder against innocent people.