Why do we celebrate Thanks Giving ?

Question

why do we celebrate it?didnt the pilgrims kill the indians so what do we celebrate.Also when was it officially celebrated by the u.s.

Answer 1

"There are only two contemporary accounts of the 1621 Thanksgiving: First is Edward Winslow's account, which he wrote in a letter dated December 12, 1621. The complete letter was first published in 1622, and is chapter 6 of Mourt's Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth."

"Our corn [i.e. wheat] did prove well, and God be praised, we had a good increase of Indian corn, and our barley indifferent good, but our peas not worth the gathering, for we feared they were too late sown. They came up very well, and blossomed, but the sun parched them in the blossom. Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."

"The second description was written about twenty years after the fact by William Bradford in his History Of Plymouth Plantation. Bradford's History was rediscovered in 1854 after having been taken by British looters during the Revolutionary War. Its discovery prompted a greater American interest in the history of the Pilgrims, which eventually led to Lincoln's decision to make Thanksgiving a holiday. It is also in this account that the Thanksgiving turkey tradition is founded. "

"They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercising in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides they had about a peck of meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports."

"The following is a fairly complete list of the foods available to the Pilgrims during the three-day Thanksgiving harvest celebration. As can be seen in the above two quotations, the only foods specifically mentioned by the Pilgrims are: "corn" (wheat, by the Pilgrims usage of the word), Indian corn, barley, peas (if any where spared), "fowl" (Bradford says "waterfowl"), five deer, fish (namely bass and cod), and wild turkey."

Answer 2

FDR made it official at some point in the 1930s. However, the Pilgrims didn't start out killing the Indians. The first Thanksgiving was a celebration to commemorate making it through the first winter and Indians were there, too.

Answer 3

To show gratitude for everything we are thankful for in our life. The Thanksgiving tradition originally began give thanks at the close of the harvest season. This tradition has been held since at least the 1930s, over two hundred years after the Pilgrims set apart a day to celebrate at Plymouth immediately after their first harvest, in 1621.

Answer 4

hanksgiving Day , legal holiday in the U.S., first celebrated in early colonial times in New England. The actual origin, however, is probably the harvest festivals that are traditional in many parts of the world Festivals and Feasts. After the first harvest was completed by the Plymouth colonists in 1621, Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer, shared by all the colonists and neighboring Native Americans. The Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock held their Thanksgiving in 1621 as a three day "thank you" celebration to the leaders of the Wampanoag Indian tribe and their families for teaching them the survival skills they needed to make it in the New World. It was their good fortune that the tradition of the Wampanoags was to treat any visitor to their homes with a share of whatever food the family had, even if supplies were low. It was also an amazing stroke of luck that one of the Wampanoag, Tisquantum or Squanto, had become close friends with a British explorer, John Weymouth, and had learned the Pilgrim's language in his travels to England with Weymouth.
After the first New England Thanksgiving the custom spread throughout the colonies, but each region chose its own date. In 1789 George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed November 26 a day of Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving day continued to be celebrated in the United States on different days in different states until Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Godey's Lady's Book, decided to do something about it. For more than 30 years she wrote letters to the governors and presidents asking them to make Thanksgiving Day a national holiday.

Answer 5

The Indians were kind to the settlers and explained to them how to tap maple trees, grow maize, etc. That was the official thanksgiving day. The settlers had a feast with the Indians. You can all sorts of info from the web on educational sites on the web. Try on line encyclopedias.

Answer 6

Thats a stupid question. The Indians and the pilgrims ate the
turkey together.

Answer 7

Well, for basically the same reason why we celebrate Columbus Day - Americans are ignorant to the truth of the past. Columbus also slaughtered countless numbers of "indians" (he was fairly inept) and we blindly say that he was a great guy for "discovering the new world" (which people are now saying the Chinese had discovered thousands of years before he did, the bastardo).

Answer 8

In Canada, we just celebrated Thanksgiving. Today, we want to Thank God for all the things he has given to us. We go to church and worship him, and then enjoy a wonderful meal and time of fellowship with family and friends. We are so blessed to be living in Canada. Praise the Lord.

Answer 9

Because as a nation, we recognize that we have it really good and that these blessings are a gift from God. Formally offering Him thanks is the very least we can do. 1623 is considered the first observance. The reference gives various historical dates and discusses Canadian Thanksgiving as well.

Answer 10

We don't think about the past to celebrate thanksgiving, we think about the present. Being thankful for all the blessings that have been bestowed on us.