It’s the third fourth Thursday of November every year. It’s an insanely fucked up holiday. The premise is that when the original English settlers got here, they didn’t know how to grow food or anything so a lot of them starved. Out of kindness the natives taught them how to grow the local crops, and when the pilgrims had their first successful harvest they invited the natives for a harvest feast to give thanks. Thus the first thanksgiving was a show of friendship and gratitude.
Now thanksgiving is a holiday to supposedly celebrate being thankful, when a family comes together and shares a harvest feast, stuffing themselves like hogs on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams etc. and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Some watch American football all day. Others just spend time together.
Of course this lovely rosy glow is built on the back of millions of victims of Native American genocide, which this awful holiday conveniently papers over. Many Native Americans have a day of mourning on thanksgiving.
So fyi, the whole thing with the pilgrims and the native Americans was a myth tacked onto to the holiday at a later date. A "Day of Thanks" feast in autumn was a pretty common tradition in parts of England, and when English settlers came to New England they kept up the tradition. The feast between the pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe did happen, but it wasn't really anything of note in the history of that community. The tribe had made an alliance with the Puritan community and they simply invited them to a feast they were having to celebrate their alliance. It was noted in their colony's history but wasn't considered a big deal until historians stumbled on the story later.
So you could just as easily call it a "harvest feast" or whatever and ignore all the stupid colonial shit tacked on. Personally I don't mind an excuse to chow down with my fam, but I get why other people find it stupid.
It’s the
thirdfourth Thursday of November every year. It’s an insanely fucked up holiday. The premise is that when the original English settlers got here, they didn’t know how to grow food or anything so a lot of them starved. Out of kindness the natives taught them how to grow the local crops, and when the pilgrims had their first successful harvest they invited the natives for a harvest feast to give thanks. Thus the first thanksgiving was a show of friendship and gratitude.Now thanksgiving is a holiday to supposedly celebrate being thankful, when a family comes together and shares a harvest feast, stuffing themselves like hogs on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams etc. and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Some watch American football all day. Others just spend time together.
Of course this lovely rosy glow is built on the back of millions of victims of Native American genocide, which this awful holiday conveniently papers over. Many Native Americans have a day of mourning on thanksgiving.
My family doesn’t celebrate it.
So fyi, the whole thing with the pilgrims and the native Americans was a myth tacked onto to the holiday at a later date. A "Day of Thanks" feast in autumn was a pretty common tradition in parts of England, and when English settlers came to New England they kept up the tradition. The feast between the pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe did happen, but it wasn't really anything of note in the history of that community. The tribe had made an alliance with the Puritan community and they simply invited them to a feast they were having to celebrate their alliance. It was noted in their colony's history but wasn't considered a big deal until historians stumbled on the story later.
So you could just as easily call it a "harvest feast" or whatever and ignore all the stupid colonial shit tacked on. Personally I don't mind an excuse to chow down with my fam, but I get why other people find it stupid.
Yeah thanks for pointing that out. I was just about to correct my comment to point out that it’s bullshit, but my post is the elementary school lore.
We do have a harvest feast, we just do it on Saturday, to celebrate the arrival of our Christmas tree.