The terrorists attacks in Paris, Beirut and elsewhere were horrific and while nobody of any influence has suggested all American Muslims be forced to change their religion, registering them sounds like the first step towards taking away their freedom of religion. After securing a bountiful harvest, the settlers and Wampanoag joined in fellowship for a shared dinner to celebrate powerful traditions that are still observed at Thanksgiving today: lifting one another up, enjoying time with those around us, and appreciating all that we have.
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As Thanksgiving Day draws near, Ruidosans of Mexican heritage should feel a strong and unique sense of connection to the spirit of inter-cultural generosity and compassion that the holiday commemorates. An earlier explorer had captured Squanto and brought him back to England. But for Native Americans, celebrating Thanksgiving means coming to terms with the decimation of their people, and the beginning of a history of abuse and discrimination. Then a small basket is passed around, and each person puts in one kernel of corn and shares one thing that he or she is grateful for.
The pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in December of 1620.
Maybe it was those fashionable black pilgrim hats? One lesson of the holiday that we should try not to forget is how the Pilgrims were saved from starvation and misery by adopting a system of private property rights. The celebration was a onetime event, and it was 55 years before another Thanksgiving Day was officially proclaimed.
Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving?
I have to admit, for many years I had managed to conflate the Pilgrims and the Massachusetts Bay Colony Puritans: I thought they were the same thing. They traded with and learned about agriculture from the people already living here, which allowed the Pilgrims to survive. Traditional foods include turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, and many others.
So for Thanksgiving purposes, there’s no reason to censor Cortez from Thanksgiving folklore. As a college student, I find it hard to make time to make breakfast or somedays brush my hair, let alone remind those around me how much I appreciate them along with giving myself time to be thankful for all that I have.
Let us express our gratitude by welcoming others to our celebrations and recognize those who volunteer today to ensure a dinner is possible for those who might have gone without.
Because the Pilgrims’ fervor for religious liberty was devoid of an ethic of accountability, they did not proceed with moral liability or legal justice. With the commotion of our everyday lives, many of us dwell on the troubles we may have rather than counting all our blessings.
This may seem like such an oversimplified, cliche idea. You don’t buy gifts for loved ones. But life has a way of proving that it isn’t as easy as it sounds.
I sometimes wonder if we should say a Thanksgiving prayer over a table sagging with food.
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It’s interesting to read his proclamation, which declares a holiday to give thanks to “Almighty God”. I’d like the myth to keep getting taught as what it is – a story that reveals how we want to see our place in history but that isn’t really representative of the truth.
