New Hampshire
Originally uploaded by GloGurL
This was the most Thanksgivingish type photo I had on Flickr hence its use in this blog post. I was so proud of this photo at the time I took it because it was taken the day the gulf war broke out that very day and the American flag is proudly displayed on the side of a barn and is prevalent.
Thanksgiving is a time when time is spent in gratitude and celebration. A brief history of Thanksgiving as you remember from elementary school.
In 1620 over a hundred people who had begun to question the beliefs of the Church of England sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on the Mayflower to settle in the New World. These pilgrims who settled in the New World (now known as Massachusetts) found the New World very difficult as they had arrived too late in the season and were unable to grow various crops to ensure their survival.
The following spring Indians taught the survivors how to grow corn, which was a revelation to the colonists and also how to fish and hunt. By the autumn of 1621 they revealed bountiful crops of corn, beans, and pumpkins. The colonists now had plenty to be thankful for. A feast, which lasted for three days, was planned in which 90 Indians and the local chief was invited.
After the United States became an independent country Congress recommended that one day should be celebrated as Thanksgiving Day by the entire nation, George Washington suggested November 26th. When the bloody civil war ended in 1863, Abraham Lincoln asked all Americans to set aside the last Thursday in the month of November each year to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Having said all that; what does Thanksgiving mean to most people now? It means almost the same thing. A celebration of family and friends and people we appreciate all getting together to break bread. The menu is almost the same and everyone has a good time. I only wish the celebration could last for three days like the pilgrim's did. This year I will be thinking of my parents, this being the first year both of them will not be around for the holidays. Yet I will still be grateful for the family and friends I have. Please allow me to extend my heartfelt wishes for a very happy holiday season for you and yours.
