The fourth Thursday of November is one of the most important days in the entire calendar for the United States of America. It represents Thanksgiving, the annual opportunity for families and friends to come together and celebrate with a day of feasting, gratitude and reflection on everything essential to their lives.
One of the most wonderful aspects of Thanksgiving is the ability it has to unite people and combat any division that may be affecting communities. This crucial element was present at the First Thanksgiving when the English Pilgrims invited members of the Wampanaog Nation for a feast to say thank you for their life-saving assistance that allowed the pilgrims to survive the brutal first winter in the country. And unity was also the defining force for Abraham Lincoln to declare Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1863, during the American Civil War.
The Heart of the Harvest
The idea of welcoming nature’s abundance and giving thanks to the gifts it provides is the central tenet of the entire holiday. It is a fact often overlooked that this idea stems from the tradition of Harvest Festivals that had been popular for hundreds of years in the UK, before the First Thanksgiving. Indeed, when the Pilgrims first invited the Wampanaog Nation to join them, this was very much their own interpretation of Harvest Home, a celebration held at the end of harvesting season where all in the community were allowed to benefit from the fruits of their labour on the land.
Shared Symbolism
As historians are keen to point out, many of the symbolic gestures and decorations are a result of this shared heritage. Back in rural England, there was a belief that the last sheaf of corn gathered from the fields had the spirit of the harvest living within it. To keep this alive for the next season, ornate and intricate Corn Dollies would be made to hang in homes until spring as a reminder of this constant renewal. The decorative corn, wheat and gourds, and the cornucopia found on American tables at Thanksgiving, is a developed interpretation of this tradition with the same motivation for an expression and understanding of the natural world.
The Heir to the Festival
In many ways, the Thanksgiving holiday is the heir to the Harvest Festivals that were well established in England and all over northern Europe. In the UK, from the end of September and into the middle of October, these festivals are still observed in their own 21st century way. Primary Schools will hold their own collections of food and essential items that are gathered to be shared with the less fortunate members of the community, with teachers, parents and carers ensuring that they do so with a sense of gratitude for what they have themselves. Thanksgiving in the USA demonstrates how important it is to celebrate that same idea on a grander, national scale.
Links and Landmarks
It is possible to recognise Thanksgiving in the UK in the same spirit as it is across the Atlantic, of course. There are plenty of restaurants and hotels that offer an interpretation of the famous Thanksgiving menus, with American brands and chains providing some authentic options to explore. However, there are more interesting ways to commemorate the day, using Thanksgiving links and connections between the two countries to great effect.
The Mayflower Museum
The Mayflower Museum in Plymouth is perhaps the greatest of them all. This fascinating place sits directly beside the Mayflower Steps, where the Pilgrims set sail for the New World over 400 years ago. Surrounded by the original cobbled lanes, merchant houses and taverns of the 16th and 17th centuries, it guides visitors through the story of the 102 passengers who were on board the Mayflower for its 1620 voyage, acknowledging the parallel stories of the Wampanoag Nation that encountered them at the end of their journey.
Three floors of interactive displays, maps and models, that include a scale version of the Mayflower itself, are all on show here in a charming and informative museum experience. The full passenger list with associated biographies details who the people were who went on to become the founders of the United States.
New Ways over the Waters
In the modern era, there has been a marked increase in the sharing of traditions and holidays among a more mobile global population. With this comes a renewed opportunity for a greater understanding of history and the attendant stories of the people who both shaped it and experienced its consequences. Observing and celebrating Thanksgiving in the UK allows people to recognise and remember the roots of harvest festivals. This means realising just how the natural world can provide for all our shared communities when given a little help from those who are in a position to do so. All of which is definitely something every country should pay attention to and give thanks for.
