Thankgiving holiday (history and traditions)

Thanksgiving Day history

by Krasikova E.N.

Thanksgiving Day is a traditional holiday in the USA and Canada, which is a form of harvest festival. It’s roots are in the depth of American history, when the first settlers from England arrived to the coasts of America in 1620 on the ship Mayflower, which became very famous nowadays.

The Mayflower was used primarily as a cargo ship, involved in active trade of goods (often wine) between England and other European countries,(France, Norway, Germany, and Spain). At least between 1609 and 1622, it was mastered by Christopher Jones, who would command the ship on the famous transatlantic voyage, and based in Rotherhithe, London, England. After the famous voyage of the Mayflower, the ship returned to England, likely dismantled for scrap lumber in Rotherhithe in 1623, only a year after Jones's death in March 1622.

It is a puzzle how Mayflower managed to accommodate 102 passengers and a crew of about 30. She was a merchant ship, not a passenger ship [there was no such notion as a passenger ship in those times]. Therefore, she was not equipped to take many passengers. Some passengers slept in the shallop, a large ship's boat which was stowed on the gun deck.

The passengers would have paid the ship's carpenter to build cabins or bunks in the 'tween decks. Double or triple tier bunks must have been built, or hammocks slung on the gun deck. Here they had their beds or hammocks, cooking pots, clothing and items they would need during the crossing. Their other goods were stored in the hold. There could have been little privacy.

A family's cabin on the Mayflower was very small and simple, often no more than canvas partitions around a set of bunk beds, depending upon how much the family could afford to pay the ship's carpenter. 

The foods they ate on board-salted meat and fish, peas, beans, beer, and hard cheese-were not very different from what the country folk in England ate in winter or early spring.
There were 32 children or young people on the Mayflower. Of all the passengers, they were probably the most bored. They could play games or listen to someone read to them. When the weather was good, the sailors probably allowed them to go up on deck. In stormy weather they probably spent their time praying, being seasick, and trying to keep from being bruised and battered against the beams and walls of the ship, a common injury of passengers during a storm. 

A day's activities might be as follows:
Wake up, put away the bedding
Prayers
Breakfast
In good weather, activities like reading, games, exercise on deck
Cooking by the women in good weather
Dinner (noon meal)
Activities similar to the morning
Supper
Prayers
Sleep

During the stormy weather, the Pilgrims had to stay below decks where it was dark, wet and crowded. Many of the passengers got seasick. But the passengers kept up their courage by singing and trying to keep the children occupied as much as possible under those conditions. 

Although the Mayflower left late in the summer and did not arrive until winter in the New World, it appears the voyage itself was not an especially difficult one. There had been a strong storm at sea, but that was to be expected at that season of the year. 

Besides it`s human cargo of one hundred and thirty or more passengers and crew, the landing of Mayflower when it sailed from Plymouth, England, September 6/16, 1620, was considerable. Judging from authentic sources of the period the food supply brought on Mayflower by the Pilgrims would have included those mentioned by Capt. John Smith a few years later.

Fine wheat flour, close and well packed.
Rice.
Currants.
Sugar.
Prunes.
Cinnamon.
Ginger.
Pepper.
Cloves
Green Ginger.
Oil.
Butter.
Holland Cheese, or "old cheese."
Wine Vinegar



Canarie Sack.
Aqua Vitae.
Fine Wines.
Pure water.
Lemon Juice [for Scurvy].
White Biscuit
Oatmeal.
Gammons or Bacon.
Dried Neat's Tongues.
Beefe, packed in vinegar.
Legs of Mutton, minced and stewed, close-packed with tried sewet or butter in earthen pots.
TO ENTERTAIN STRANGERS:
Marmelade.
Suckets.
Almonds.
Comfits, and such like."

CLOTHING 
The clothing supplies of the Pilgrims included hats, caps, shirts, neck-cloths, jerkins, waistcoats, breeches (cloth and leather), stockings, shoes, boots, belts, cloth, piece-goods (for dresses), etc. 

FURNITURE 
Among the furniture brought on Mayflower may be enumerated: chairs, table-chairs, stools and benches, tables of several sizes, table-boards, trestles, beds, bedding, cradles, cupboards and cabinets, chests, boxes, trunks, andirons, fireplace tools, shovels, cushions, rugs, blankets, etc.
Among the household utensils wee spits, bake-kettles, pots, kettles, lamps, candlesticks, snuffers, buckets, tubs, baskets, sand-glasses, pewter-ware including platters, plates, tankards, and porringers. There would have been wooden-ware such as trenchers, trays, noggins, spoons, ladles and scoops. The earthenware would have included jugs, crocks, bowls, etc. 

TOOLS AND OTHER EQUIPMENT 
The Pilgrims would have need of a number of other pieces of equipment in order to build their homes, plant their crops, fish and protect themselves against attack. Such equipment would have included hoes, shovels, rakes, several kinds of axes, hatchets, sickles, adzes, hammers, mallets, nails, rifles, armor, lead for bullet-making, and barrels of gun powder. 

Arrival in the New World 
After two months at sea, the Pilgrims arrived at Cape Cod. Imagine the sight that greeted their eyes on that cold November morning.
It was as though they had landed on another planet, a strange, unfriendly place with no signs of civilization-a stark, barren landscape. There were no friends or relatives to greet them, no warm homes for their comfort and no jobs to be had to earn a living. 

The Pilgrims were warm, generous and thoughtful in their dealings with their fellow citizens and with the Indians they met in America.
Their manner of dress was typical of the ordinary fashions in England at that time, some of the leading men wore brightly colored clothing. Some even wore breeches of red, green or violet. This is a far cry from the dark, somber clothing of the Puritans which we see pictured every Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims were a good-natured, fun-loving people who loved life and insisted on the freedom of choice.
It was the Pilgrims who established Plymouth Colony. It was the Pilgrims who celebrated that first Thanksgiving with the Indians.

The Pilgrim leaders knew it would take a lot of hard work to survive that first winter. They would have to cut down trees and haul logs and thatch to build houses. They knew they would need all the help they could get.

THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT 
To solve the problem, the Pilgrims wrote the Mayflower Compact. The Compact was an agreement signed by all the men on board-including the indentured servants-promising to abide by laws that would be drawn up and agreed upon by all male members of the community. The women were not allowed to participate in the governing process.
The Compact states that they would choose their own leaders and make their own laws. It also stated there was to be equal justice for all. This Compact became the constitution of the Plymouth Colony. It was the first document of American democracy to establish "government of the people, by the people, for the people."

THE FIRST EXPLORATIONS 
The Mayflower was anchored in safe harbor at the tip of Cape Cod, near the Indian site of Paomet (the present-day location of Provincetown). After signing the Mayflower Compact, fifteen or sixteen of the colonists went ashore in the long-boat. The ship was out of wood for cooking, and the Pilgrims were eager to see the land which would be their new home. They were greeted by sandy beaches with wild grasses and shrubs that ran all the way to the water-line in places. The exploring party returned to the ship at nightfall, reporting that they had seen neither person nor habitation. They had seen only sandy dunes with pale grasses, marshy ponds and low trees. On the sandy hills they had seen thousands of birds.


The next day was the Sabbath, which was spent aboard the ship in rest and prayers of thanksgiving for their safe arrival in the New World. On Monday, they unloaded the shallop, which had been stored below on the waist deck. It had been dismantled and stored there for the crossing.

Since the water was shallow, it was necessary to wade from the long-boat to the shore in the icy November water as the colonists took advantage of this opportunity to leave the ship. Some waded because it was necessary, though some did it for a lark -- little suspecting that the colds they caught might contribute to the "Great Sickness," which would reduce their numbers in the weeks and months to come.

CAPE COD The exploring party discovered this to be a narrow neck of land with a bay on one side, and the ocean on the other. The ground was all sandy dunes; but, the earth about a foot down was an excellent black soil. It was wooded with oak, pine, sassafras, juniper, birch and holly with some ash and walnut. On Wednesday, they sighted a few Indians on the shore; but, the Indians and their dog ran away and vanished into the woods. The men camped on the beach overnight.

The next morning at about ten o'clock the men were marching through the woods again when they came into a deep valley full of brush, wood gale and long grass. They moved down into the clearing and at the bottom of the hill they found a fresh water spring. At the spring, the exploring party sat down to rest.
This is one of the few spots along the Pilgrim route of exploration which still remains in an unaltered state. After more than 350 years, Pilgrim Spring still flows in its natural state.

CORN HILL Marching south through the sandy hills and valleys, the men moved along the western shore of Cape Cod, finding heaps of sand here and there, which they supposed to be Indian graves. In one place they discovered more heaps of sand so freshly made that the hand prints were still visible. Digging down, they found two baskets of corn. This area is now called Corn Hill. A small bronze tablet now marks this historic spot.

The colonists sailed further along the coast, swinging west, then northward along the mainland. They explored around the harbor, which is now known as Plymouth Harbor, and spent some time on an island which is now known as Clark's Island. The colonists finally decided that the mainland was a good place to situate their families.

HOME-BUILDING BEGUN
The "Great Sickness" was beginning to take its toll among the Pilgrim families; but, when weather permitted, as many as could went ashore to fell and carry timber for building material. It was agreed that each man should build his own house, but they would cooperate in building the common-house where their supplies would be stored. 

The Wampanoag were known to their neighbors as the Pokanoket, which means "place of the cleared land." Wampanoag means "People of the East" or "People of the Early Light." These Indians along the eastern coast were the first to see the dawn each day.
Their territory contained forests of oak, maple and pine, as well as rivers, streams and wetlands. 

Their Native American Friends THE WAMPANOAG NATION 

When the Pilgrims met them in 1620, the Wampanoag were competent farmers, fishers, hunters and gatherers. All of these occupations provided them with a generous supply and variety of foods. 

It was not until March 16/26, some three months after the Pilgrims arrived, that a tall Indian walked boldly into the plantation crying out, "Welcome! Welcome, Englishmen!"

The Pilgrims were startled when the Indian named Samoset introduced himself to the Pilgrims in English. Samoset, an Abnaki Indian from Maine, had been kidnapped by explorers and taken to England.

He had been visiting the Wampanoags for the past eight months, but he intended to return to his own people within a short time.

He told them that the Massasoit, Great Sachem of the Wampanoags, was then staying at Nemasket, attended by a number of his Councilors.

He returned again the following day, this time accompanied by Squanto who amazed the Pilgrims with his almost flawless command of English. He told them that the Massasoit, the Great Leader of the Wampanoag Nation, who was waiting in the nearby woods, intended to come to Plymouth later in the day, and a short time later the Great Sachem did appear at the top of a nearby hill, attended by 60 of his men.

It was Squanto who would teach the Pilgrims how to find herring, a kind of fish, and to use it as a fertilizer when planting corn, pumpkins and beans. This was especially important to the Pilgrims because the seeds they had brought with them from England did not do well in the New England soil. Squanto also showed them how to find clams and eels in the rivers and how to hunt for deer, bears and turkeys. The children also learned where to find nuts and berries of all kinds.

On March 22/April 1, 1621, Samoset and Squanto appeared in the little colony with three other Indians. They brought with them a few skins and some red herrings newly taken and dried to trade. They told the Pilgrims that their great sagamore (chief), the Massasoit, was nearby with Quadequina his brother and about sixty men. They were able to arrange a meeting between the Massasoit and the first governor of Plymouth Colony, John Carver.
Following introductory ceremonies, Carver and the Massasoit agreed upon the terms of a peace treaty between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags. 

During the next few months, the Native Americans and the colonists worked together to till and plant the first successful crops. The first feast of Thanksgiving, in October of 1621, was a harvest festival filled with fellowship, good food and games. The Indians and the colonists shared the fruits of their labor: venison, duck, turkey, corn and pumpkin. 

The peaceful relations between the Pilgrims and Indians had lasted 54 years, during the lifetimes of the Massasoit and the original members of Plymouth Colony.

First Pilgrim Thanksgiving 

The fall of 1621, Pilgrims first fall in the New World. In their first ten months at Plymouth, just passed, they had erected seven dwellings, a Common Meeting house and three small store houses for food, clothing and other supplies.
In spite of their numbers having been cut in half by sickness and death, they found reasons for thankfulness. They had gained their foot-hold on the edge of an inhospitable continent. They were well recovered in health and strength. They were making the best of a hard life in the wilderness. They had proved that they could sustain themselves in the new, free land. They were assured of the success of their purpose of establishing freedom. They had made firm friends with the Indians, who had been so kind to them.

For three days the Pilgrims and their Indian guests gorged themselves on venison, roast duck, goose and turkey, clams and other shell-fish, succulent eels, corn bread, hasty pudding, leeks and water-cress and other "sallet herbes," with wild plums and dried berries as dessert, all washed down with wine made of the wild grape. The affair was more like an out-door barbeque for the entire population, than a family reunion dinner.

The gathering was enlivened by contests of skill and strength: running, jumping, wrestling. Also, there were games of various kinds. The Indians were probably amazed to learn that the white men could play games not unlike their own. The Indians performed their dances and struck up their singing. Standish put his little army of fourteen men through their military review. Then followed feats of marksmanship, muskets performing against bows and arrows. The Massasoit and his braves headed home at last with a warmth of feeling for his white friends which survived even the harsh tests to which it was soon subjected.