he celebration of Thanksgiving in America was probably derived from the harvest-home ceremonies originally held in England. These were days reserved to thank God for plentiful crops and a bountiful harvest. Accordingly, this holiday still takes place late in the Fall Season, after crops have been gathered. Most recently, ThanksgivingDay in the United States is usually a family affair, complete with sumptuous dinners and happy reunions; however, it is also traditionally a time for serious religious contemplation, church services and prayer.
The first observance of Thanksgiving in America was entirely religious in nature and involved no form of feasting. On December 4, 1619, a group of 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Plantation on the James River...a location now known as Charles City, Virginia. The charter of the group required that the day of arrival be observed as a Day of Thanksgiving to God.
The first Thanksgiving in the New England area was celebrated in 1621, a little less than a year after the Plymouth colonists had settled in America. Popularly known as the Pilgrims, they had set sail from Plymouth, England on a ship called the Mayflower on September 6, 1620. They were fortune hunters, bound for the resourceful 'New World'. The Mayflower was a small ship crowded with men, women and children, besides the sailors on board. Aboard were passengers comprising the 'separatists', who called themselves the "Saints", and others, whom theseparatists called the "Strangers".
After land was sighted in November following 66 days of a lethal voyage, a meeting was held and an agreement of truce was worked out between the Saints and Strangers. It was called the MayflowerCompact. The agreement guaranteed equality among the members of the two groups. They merged together to be recognized as the "Pilgrims." They elected John Carver as their first governor.
Contrary to popular belief, however, PlymouthRock was not the site of the original colony. When the Pilgrims landed there on December 11, 1620 in search of fresh provisions, they were greeted with hostility by the natives in the immediate vicinity and put back out to sea almost at once. A little further south, they came across Cape Cod, a much more favorable anchorage than Plymouth had proved to be and a native population which was more cordial in nature. Weary from their voyage and in no mood to hunt down the site mandated by their charter (which was considerably further down the coast and somewhere within the limits of the original grant of the Virginia Company of Plymouth), the Pilgrims decided to establish their colony within this friendly territory.
That initial harsh Massachusetts winter killed approximately one-half of the original 102 colonists. In the following Spring of 1621, the Indians, led by two braves named Samoset (of the Wampanoag Tribe) and Squanto (of the Patuxtet Tribe), taught the survivors how to plant corn (called "maize" by the natives) and how to catch alewives (a variety of the herring family) in order that the fish might be used as a fertilizer to growing pumpkins, beans and other crops. Samsoset and Squanto also instructed the Pilgrims in the arts of hunting and angling. By that Summer, despite poor crops of peas, wheat and barley, a good corn yield was expected and the pumpkin crop was bountiful. In early Autumn, to recognize the help afforded the colonists by the Indians and to give thanks for having survivied, Governor William Bradford arranged for a harvest festival. Four men were sent "fowling" after ducks and geese. Turkey may or may not have been a part of the forthcoming meal since the term "turkey" was used by the Pilgrims to mean any type of wild fowl.
The festival lasted three days. Massasoit, local sachem or chief of the Wampanoag, together with 90 Indians from the various Eastern Woodlands Tribes, participated in the ceremony. There can be little doubt that the majority of the feast was most likely furnished by the indigenous population. It is certain that they provided venison. The remainder of the meal, eaten outdoors around large tables, also probably included fish, berries, boiled pumpkin, watercress, leeks, lobster, dried fruit, clams, wild plums and cornbread. The celebration of this first New England Thanksgiving is believed to have taken place sometime between September 21 and November 9.
The event, however, was a one-time celebration. It was not repeated the following year, nor was it intended to be an annual festival. It was not until 55 years later than another Thanksgiving Day was officially proclaimed, when the Governing Council of Charlestown, Massachusetts convened on June 20, 1676 to weigh how to best express thanks for the good fortune that had secured the establishment of their community. By unanimous vote, Edward Rawson (the Clerk of the Council) was instructed to announce June 29 as a Day of Thanksgiving. Yet again, this proved to be only a one-time event.
他在美國感恩節的慶祝很可能是來自最初在英格蘭舉行的收獲回家儀式。這些被保留天感謝上帝豐富的作物和豐收。因此，這個假期仍然發生在秋季后期，已經收集農作物后。最近，感恩節在美國通常是一個家庭的事，豐盛的晚餐和幸福的團聚，但是，它也是傳統上是一個嚴重的宗教沉思，教堂禮拜和祈禱的時間。
感恩節在美國的第一個遵守完全是宗教性和參與任何形式的燈紅酒綠。1619年12月4日，一組38英國移民來到伯克利分校的詹姆斯河種植...弗吉尼亞州查爾斯市，現在已知的位置。本集團的章程要求，作為對上帝的感恩節觀察一天的到來。
在新英格蘭地區的第一個感恩節的慶祝活動在1621年，一點點不到一年后，普利茅斯殖民者曾在美國定居。作為朝圣者之稱，他們已成立了一個叫五月花號船，1620年9月6日，英國普利茅斯起航。他們是財富獵人，足智多謀的“新世界”的約束。五月花是男人，婦女和兒童擁擠的小型船舶，除了船上的水手。機上乘客包括“分裂主義”，他稱自己為“圣人”，和其他人的分裂分子所謂的“陌生人”。
土地后在11月發現以下一個致命的航行66天，舉行了一次會議，是圣徒和陌生人之間的停戰協定。它被稱為“五月花號公約。該協議保證兩組的成員之間的平等。他們合并在一起，作為公認的“朝圣者”。他們當選為他們的第一個州長約翰卡弗。
然而，流行的觀點相反，洛克是不是原殖民地的網站。當朝圣者1620年12月11日，降落在尋找新鮮的規定，他們打招呼的敵意在附近的當地人，幾乎一次出海。一點點再往南，他們遇到的科德角，一個更加有利的錨地比普利茅斯已被證明是一個外來人口，這是在性質上更加親切。從他們的航程和厭倦沒有心情追捕其“憲章”(這是相當進一步沿海岸的某處在弗吉尼亞州的普利茅斯公司原授予的限制)規定的站點，香客決定建立自己的殖民地內這種友好的領土。
馬薩諸塞州，最初的嚴酷的冬季，殺害了約一半原來的102殖民者。在1621以下的春天，印度人，兩個勇敢的命名Samoset(Wampanoag部落)和Squanto(Patuxtet部落)領導，教授的幸存者如何種植玉米(當地人稱為“玉米”)，以及如何捕捉為了alewives(各種鯡魚家族的)魚可能被用來作為一個化肥增長南瓜，豆類等作物。Samsoset和Squanto還指示在狩獵和垂釣的藝術朝圣者。那年夏天，盡管豌豆，小麥和大麥歉收，一個良好的玉米產量預計和南瓜收成豐碩。在初秋，承認給予幫助印第安人的殖民者給有survivied感謝，州長威廉布拉德福德安排了一個豐收的節日。四名男子被送往“打鳥”后，鴨，鵝。土耳其可能會或可能不會一直因為“土耳其”是由朝圣者用來指任何類型的野生禽鳥即將到來的一餐的一部分。
藝術節歷時3天。Massasoit，當地的SACHEM或行政的Wampanoag連同90印第安人各部落的東部林地，參加了儀式。可以毫無疑問，最有可能由土著人口提供了大多數的盛宴�？梢钥隙ǖ氖�，他們提供的鹿肉。餐的其余部分，圍繞吃大型表的戶外，也可能包括魚，漿果，煮南瓜，水芹，韭菜，龍蝦，干果，蛤，野生李子和面包。相信這首新英格蘭感恩節的慶�；顒邮�9月21日和11月9日之間的某個時候發生了。
然而，事件是一次性的慶祝活動。，這不是重復次年，也不是它打算成為一年一度的節日。但直到55年后比另一個感恩節正式宣布時，理事會，美國馬薩諸塞州的查爾斯頓，1676年6月20日召開的權衡如何以最佳方式表達感謝已獲得他們的社區建立良好的財富。經投票一致，愛德華羅森(理事會秘書)奉命到6月29日公布的感恩節。再次，這被證明是唯一一個一次性事件。