A history of family feasting
Brian Bernadel
On Nov. 25 Thanksgiving will be upon us, and families across the country will be gathering to spend the holiday together.”Thanksgiving is an American holiday and it began in the Massachusetts Bay Colony,” said Jay Kilroy, a history professor at MCC.
He detailed the events that lead to the first Thanksgiving.
“When the colonist. who came here around the 1600s . almost starved but were kept alive by the native Indians, and then after they got on their feet and were able to plant food, they were then able to give thanks to God. They were religious people,” Kilroy said.
He explained how they also gave thanks to their generous neighbors, the American Indians, as well.
History.com stated that during the first winter only half of the colonists survived due to outbreaks of disease. When they completed their first successful harvest in Nov. 1961 the colonies governor organized a celebratory feast which became the first Thanksgiving. It originally lasted for three days.
Because the early pilgrims did not have ovens or an adequate supply of sugar; historians have stated that the dishes in the first Thanksgiving were likely Native American cuisine, contrasting to the modern traditional entrees.
George Washington issued the first proclamation, in which he asked Americans to express their gratefulness for the successful ending of the Revolutionary War.
Abraham Lincoln was the president to make it a offical.
“Abraham Lincoln made it a national holiday. For over 200 years it was practiced in some places, but he made it a national holiday and tradition,” Kilroy said.
After the great depression the economy needed an additional boost, and Thanksgiving took on another facet.
“Franklin Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving back one week earlier. The reason he did that was to stimulate buying and selling. The buying (for Christmas) begins then, (and) so by moving it back a week he lengthened the buying period a week,” Kilroy said. “Sales generate jobs, jobs generate earning and earnings generate more buying.
