Reformátusok Lapja, 1971 (71. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1971-11-01 / 11. szám
REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA 3 Historical and Social Significance of Thanksgivin The celebration of Thanksgiving in American can best be thought somewhat similar to the Hungarian cultural custom for acknowledging gratitude of the harvest in the autumn for nature’s yield of its life-giving food; the Hungarians do this by way of activities that are religious and social in nature; i.e., their definition being “Hálaadásnap — mint szüreti hálaadás. First of all, a short review of historical data is herewith given to refresh our minds about the significance of Thanksgiving in America: The earliest harvest thanksgiving was held in 1621 at Plymouth Colony in the area familiarly known as Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts. This celebration was so revered by the inhabitants of that time that it was often repeated even during the Revolution between the American colonists and the British. Accordingly, President George Washington in 1789 designated a day of thanksgiving. Thereafter, it was celebrated sporadically up to 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln formally proclaimed the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day — this done upon being urged by Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book. Thanksgiving has been continually celebrated in America since then — nowadays, more conveniently, on the third Thursday of November. What made the importance of that very first Thanksgiving commemoration so great was the heartfelt gratitude felt by the survivors a year later after the Pilgrims’ voyage across the Atlantic Ocean 350 years ago. It will be recalled that the Mayflower had sailed with 100 passengers from Holland across the English Channel to Rritain, and after several attempts finally departed in September of 1620. The area in and about the Channel coast town of Plymouth, England recently has emphasized this historical nature of our early heritage. The original ship’s list recorded the names of male passengers and servants, and noted upon arriving on the Cape Cod shore in November an additional two persons born, with one other person dying along the way. Their quarters were tight and the trip uncomfortable in the small ship, but the purpose of their flight for religious freedom gave the Pilgrims strength, endurance and courage. A replica, fairly close to the original Mayflower specifications had been made, and in 1957 retraced the first voyage taken, stopping at New York harbor for a period of time before proceeding to Plymouth, Massachusetts as an historical tribute of a highly commemorative event. Members of my family and myself took advantage of the opportunity to visit the life-size ship-model and stepped on board to visit in its small compartments and galley, etc., thereby attempting to relive somewhat the initial experience of the stoic Pilgrims. Not to go unacknowledged herein are the later stark facts of reality after the Pilgrims landed — namely, that that particular winter was extremely harsh on them in this new and unfamiliar environment. Food and water were in short supply in those cold, snowy months and, needless to say, their clothing and shelter were meager for their needs. As a result, there was a great deal of suffering, with many taking ill so much so that approximately a half of them only lived through ’til spring, at which time the ship returned and brought back more supplies for the next year. From the foregoing, we can surmise then that they had especially good reasons for earnestly being thankful for the fruits of their harvest season. At this point, as a game-like experiment of trying to feel empathy with the Pilgrims of 3’A centuries ago, let us try to imagine ourselves in the roles of the women, children and men of those earlier times in order to see if we can gain some of their perspectives for gratefulness, acceptance and tolerance. It is asked of the young and the young-in-heart to join in by attempting to put yourselves in the places of the Pilgrims back in colonial times. The woman would be wearing a medium-dark (gray, generally) dress in what we term nowadays “maxi-length”, with white collar and cuffs, white apron, white cap and dark, low shoes. Her role was to prepare the food and maintain the children and family life. The youngsters helped serve and assist as much as possible. The man would be wearing a dark shirt and knickers (black, generally), with white collar and cuffs, white socks and also dark, low shoes; however, his hat was a high, dark, stovepipe-type with wide brim. His role was to go out hunting and fishing for food for the table; also building, protecting the home, planting, etc. It is hoped with this recounting that one can more easily envision himself in the place of our country’s Pilgrim forefathers, sitting down together to join in a feast of bountiful thanksgiving in front of a table laden abundantly with harvested foods from the New World having different resources and different inhabitants; namely, the Indians — such people having introduced the Pilgrims to new grains and animals such as corn and turkey, as well as depicting a new way of life, both being able to exist with acceptance and tolerance of each other. In finality, it is with fervant anticipation that this fun-type of experiment might have succeeded in some small way to bring out highlights and aspects that would make for better understanding of the historical and social significance of not only this, but all other future thanksgivings as well! Madeline Takacs Barhoe
