Thanksgiving day: American Culture at its finest

A day to be grateful

Today Americans everywhere gather around the table with their family and closest friends, eat a copious meal with turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, beans, jello, sweet potatoes, corn, pumpkin pie, apply pie,... They celebrate Thanksgiving Day, started with the Pilgrim Fathers in 1623 in thanksgiving for the bounty of their harvest, for surviving the first years of settling these new shores. Beer was involved in the choice of the location, landing at Plymouth Rock was not planned… (This might be new to you, but beer really is the foundation of civilization.) The Mayflower, the ship that brought the Pilgrim Fathers to American shores, was running low on beer, so the crew kicked out their passengers when they realized this, so they could sail back to the nearest port before they ran out of their beer supply!

The official day was instituted by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, but as early as 1789 this day was celebrated. There are many earlier dates for Thanksgiving parties, but those were local or state wide celebrations. I really like the proclamation written by George Washington, as it eloquently states the reasons for this day's festivities:

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

George Washington

Archbishop of Chicago Cardinal Francis E. George (died 2015) put it this way: “Recognizing that none of us is self-made and unwilling to declare ourselves a cosmic accident, we turn to the Author of all that is and say thanks. In the face of a gift that cannot be matched in return, all one can do is be grateful.” None of us is self-made. Nor are we accidents. This recognition is so vital for this country, as it is the foundation of our individual rights: God-given, not granted by government, and thus not to be taken away by any government or law.

It is also the foundation of our Union and community. This is not a rebuke of self-reliance and independence either, on the contrary. Look at the outpouring of support in the wake of any disaster. People come help, every time, donating their money, time and/or skills to support those in need. (Remember the people in the wake of Hurricane Helene, though, who are suffering still, with absolutele government malfeasance and lack of support: will write more about that later, if you aren’t aware of what is going on in and around North Carolina. The first snow has fallen, temperatures are below zero, and people live in tents or small cabins… Yet even when government and FEMA fail, ‘we the people’ are there, offering help and support. None of us is self-made, but we live together, as Americans. And that means we help each other, and look out for each other.

There are other Thanksgiving feasts, notably the Thanksgiving of 1565, in Saint-Augustine, Florida. The National Park Service tells this story as follows:

“On September 8, 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and 800 Spanish settlers founded the city of St. Augustine in Spanish La Florida. As soon as they were ashore, the landing party celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving. Afterward, Menéndez laid out a meal to which he invited as guests the native Seloy tribe who occupied the site. The celebrant of the Mass was St. Augustine’s first pastor, Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales, and the feast day in the church calendar was that of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. What exactly the Seloy natives thought of those strange liturgical proceedings we do not know, except that, in his personal chronicle, Father Lopez wrote that “the Indians imitated all they saw done.”

What was the meal that followed? From our knowledge of what the Spaniards had on board their five ships, we can surmise that it was cocido, a stew made from salted pork and garbanzo beans, laced with garlic seasoning, and accompanied by hard sea biscuits and red wine. If the Seloy contributed to the meal from their own food stores, then the menu could have included turkey, venison, gopher tortoise, mullet, drum, sea catfish, maize (corn), beans, and squash.

This was the first community act of religion and thanksgiving in the first permanent European settlement in North America. It took place just 300 yards north of the Castillo de San Marcos, at what is now the Mission of Nombre de Dios. This event is commemorated today by a 250 foot cross which stands on the original landing site.”

(Video is a clip from the PBS documentary "Secrets of Spanish Florida”)

Either way, we see the act of thanksgiving expressed in religious terms, and with a communal feast, where all are invited. I like, in the Spanish Thanksgiving, how Pedro Menéndez de Avilés first claimed the new lands in the name of God, and only then in the name of the Spanish king: again a recognition that God, our Creator, is first, before earthly kings, laws or governments. The foundation is very clear: freedom and rights that are God-given, a spirit of gratitude (recognizing what has been given to us: we are not 100% self-made), all that expressed in a feast where all are welcomed. Coming to the United States, we all celebrate Thanksgiving, whether we are of European, Asian, African or Latino descent. On this day, we all gather around the table, and say thanks. Each for what they themselves are grateful for, and then we eat and drink together. As Americans.

And yes, however bleak things might seem to you, however smooth life is for you right now, be grateful. Look at this chart showing the Pilgrims who arrived at Plymouth Rock, and those who survived that first year. Even with all that loss of life, their general sentiment was gratitude. A hidden lesson for us all.

As Brene Brown said so well: “What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.” And as a priest once said: “It isn't joy that makes us grateful, but gratitude that brings us joy.” Just something to ponder on this 2024 Thanksgiving day!

So it is a most American celebration, one I fell in love with the first time I was allowed to partake when I first arrived here. (Don’t get me started on Pumpkin Pie, something I grew up completely unaware of. What a revelation, then, discovering such tasty dessert here in the United States!) Sometimes people -even Americans themselves- say that Americans have no culture, being a relatively young nation, made up of this mix of other peoples and cultures. When I hear that, I always disagree, and point to Thanksgiving, observed in a very similar way by Americans everywhere, from Alaska to Florida, and from Hawaii to Maine. Granted, the ingredients are not unique to the United States, but how they are put together most definitely is. A meal that anywhere would be considered a grand feast! It ties together a sense of history, a common life, a gratitude for what we've been given and the blessings in our lives, with a celebration of the Giver of those blessings and of the first settlers of this country, shared with the Native People already living here. A very layered and rich day it is, then, one that citizens of this country can rightly claim as their own, with a sense of pride.

(Leaf turkey, primary school project of one of my boys, years ago)

Whether or not you are an American citizen, let's all stop for a moment to give thanks for our life and all we have. Then, raise a glass of beer to it! Cheers to all, and happy Thanksgiving!