Thanksgiving Day

in the United States a day set apart on which to give thanks for the blessings of the year. It was suggested, no doubt, by the English Harvest Home, an old-fashioned festival held to celebrate the completion of harvest. A similar festival in Scotland was known as Mell Supper.

The first American Thanksgiving Day was observed by Plymouth Colony November 26, 1621. The observance of the day became general throughout New England. After the Revolutionary War the usage spread to the Middle States and over the West, making progress more slowly southward. The governors of most states issue Thanksgiving proclamations. Since Lincoln set the example in 1863 successive presidents have issued proclamations. By common consent the last Thursday in November is the date set. Business is suspended customarily. Union services are held in some church. Family reunions are held. The traditional articles without which a Thanksgiving dinner is incomplete are roast turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. After dinner coasting and skating are in order, but a religious feeling pervades the day. A Thanksgiving dance, for instance, seems out of keeping. The colonies of Americans resident in the various cities of the Old World usually hold reunions on Thanksgiving Day.

The original Plymouth Thanksgiving was held under peculiar circumstances. After the first corn crop had been gathered, Governor Bradford and the Pilgrim Fathers decided to have a feast of ingathering,--a day of thanksgiving. They invited the friendly Massasoit to join them. He and his braves, ninety strong, came with venison and wild turkeys. The surrounding woods yielded the housewives wild fruit, and the waters supplied fish and clams. No room or home in the colony was large enough. The children gathered wood; fires were built out-of-doors. The housewives united their efforts. They boiled, and baked pastries, corn-bread, and puddings in kettles. Wild turkeys, geese, ducks, and venison were hung on poles and roasted over open beds of coals. Clam chowder was made hissing hot for the first course. Tables were set under the pine trees. What was lacking by way of plates was made up by wooden trenchers. If they did not have silver spoons, they had wooden ones. There were knives enough. All sorts counted, and forks they did without. The children ate by themselves or waited for second table. What with preaching, feasting, talking, and games, the exercises lasted three days. Fifty-five English-speaking people were present. Sickness had told heavily on the colony. Over forty of their band lay under the sod. Of the fifty-five mentioned there were but four women. These, with the young girls and one servant, prepared for all that large company and the ninety Indians besides.

See Holiday