Thanksgiving
Day , legal holiday in the U.S., first celebrated in
early colonial times in New England. The actual origin,
however, is probably the harvest festivals that are
traditional in many parts of the world Festivals and
Feasts. After the first harvest was completed by the
Plymouth colonists in 1621, Governor William Bradford
proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer, shared
by all the colonists and neighboring Native Americans.
"And another angel
came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to
him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and
reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the
harvest of the earth is ripe."
Revelation 14:15
Definition of harvest:
the gathering of ripe crops, the crops or the amount
so gathered, or the season in which they are gathered.
In
1623 a day of fasting and prayer during a
period of drought was changed to one of thanksgiving
because the rain came during the prayers. Gradually
the custom prevailed in New England of annually celebrating
thanksgiving after the harvest.
Visit New England!
Fall Foilage
Facts
During
the American
Revolution a yearly day
of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress. In 1817 New York State
adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom, and by
the middle of the 19th century many other states had
done the same. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a day of
thanksgiving, and since then each president has
issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, generally
designating the fourth Thursday of November as a
holiday. Thanksgiving is a statutory holiday in
Canada, celebrated, since 1957, on the second Monday
in October. Observance of the day began in 1879. "Thanksgiving Day,"Microsoft
Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft
Corporation. All rights reserved.
Separatists, dissenters
who withdrew from the Church
of England during the 16th and 17th
centuries because of their dissatisfaction with the
ritual used in worship and with the state control of
religion in England.
The English clergyman Robert Browne was influential
among them, and his followers came to be known as
Brownists. His writings contain perhaps the earliest
statement of Congregational principles
Congregationalism. In the 17th century the
Separatists became known as Independents; their
congregational system was brought to America by
thePilgrims Microsoft
Encarta 98 Encyclopedia.1993-1997 Microsoft
Corporation. All rights reserved.
Puritanism,
a movement arising within the Church of England in
the latter part of the 16th century, which sought to
carry the reformation of that church beyond the point
represented by the Elizabethan
settlement , an attempt to establish a middle course
between Roman Catholicism and the ideas of the
Protestant reformers Church of England. It had a
continuous life within the church until the Stuart
Restoration. "Puritanism,"Microsoft
Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft
Corporation. All rights reserved.
The Puritans wanted to
"purify" the Church of England. The
Separatists wanted to separate ENTIRELY from the
Church of England.
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to explore Thanksgiving as a family!
Cranberry Thanksgiving
The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving
The Story of Thanksgiving
Mayflower
Compact , first
colonial agreement that formed a government by the
consent of the governed. The Mayflower Compact was
signed in 1620 by Pilgrims, English people hoping to
establish a settlement in North America. The agreement
was completed on the ship Mayflower,which was
anchored off the coast of Massachusetts.
The
Mayflower
that brought the Pilgrims to America was never used
again as a passenger ship.
There
were 51 men, 22 boys, 20 ladies, and 11 girls on
board the Mayflower. The oldest Mayflower passenger
to participate in the first Thanksgiving was William
Brewster. He was 54 years old.
The
compact gave the settlers the power to frame and
enact laws for the general good of the planned
settlement. Most of the Pilgrims were members of
the Separatist congregation that had split from the
Church of England. However, some were not, and these
people sought independence from the Separatists. To
prevent this, Separatist leaders wrote the compact,
which was modeled after the covenant that had
established their Separatist faith. Each male adult
signed the document. The signers agreed to follow all
just and equal laws that the settlers enacted and to
be ruled by the will of the majority. Plymouth Colony
did not receive an English royal charter, and so the
compact determined governmental authority in the
colony until it became part of the Massachusetts colony in 1691."Mayflower
Compact," Microsoft Encarta 98
Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All
rights reserved.
What
did the Pilgrims wear?
Visit
Plimouth on the Web!
Did you know that of the
102 original Pilgrims that 47 died the first winter?
How
does your family celebrate
Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving
is a time for families to create traditions and
memories that last a lifetime. When planning your
family's festivities, be sure and include your
children in the planning. Children can help prepare
the Thanksgiving Day decorations, table settings, and
the actual feast itself!
"O give thanks unto
the LORD; for [he is] good; for his mercy [endureth]
for ever." 1 Chronicles 16:34
~~~ What are
you thankful for this year?
~~~
Take the time this
Thanksgiving to write down EVERYTHING that you are
thankful for. Seeing your blessings in black and
white should create a feeling of gratitude and
thankfulness for all that God has done.
Say a prayer of
Thanksgiving to God for all of your blessings.
