The Origin of Modern-Day Thanksgiving

Newswise — Although Thanksgiving celebrations have changed through time, “the act of stuffing ourselves has a longstanding tradition,” said Colgate University’s Anthony Aveni, an archaeoastronomist who specializes in the study of ancient rites and customs. Author of “The Book of the Year: A Brief History of Our Seasonal Holidays,” Aveni traces modern-day Thanksgiving to feasts thousands of years ago.

“Every agrarian culture has had a time dedicated to giving thanks, a celebration that fell near the harvest’s conclusion,” explains Aveni.
• The Jews began celebrating the eight-day-long Sukkoth centuries ago.
• The ancient Maya of Yucatan feasted on turkey three thousand years ago.
• Ancient Greeks held a nine-day festival honoring Demeter, the fertility goddess
• In early Europe, during “Lammas” (loaf mass in old English), fresh breads from harvested grains were “blessed, broken, and ritually offered to the corners of the domicile for protection.”

In 1621, the Pilgrims and Indians celebrated the first Thanksgiving holiday. Two years later, a late rain saved the Pilgrims from possible starvation. Held on Nov. 29, that feast had religious as well as social overtones.

Several U.S. presidents played a role in Thanksgiving’s evolution:
• George Washington declared Thursday, November 16, 1789, a “nationwide holiday of Thanksgiving to commemorate the Pilgrims as well as to thank God for victory in the American Revolution.”
• Thomas Jefferson didn't think the “suffering of northern puritans was worthy of official recognition by the entire nation,” so it wasn’t until well into the 19th century that feasting was strongly associated with Thanksgiving.
• Lincoln advanced the holiday as a way of promoting unity in the midst of Civil War strife.
• The final scheduling adjustment to Thanksgiving was made in response to the business world, a fine tuning from the last to the fourth Thursday in November proclaimed by President FDR. “The change came in response to complaints that late last Thursdays (like the 29th or 30th) encroached on Christmas, which could in some circumstances loom a mere three weekends ahead,” Aveni recounted.

“We may have replaced the traditional morning church service with football…but we still dutifully (and usually punishingly) stuff ourselves,” Aveni concludes.