Thanksgiving: It’s called a uniquely “American” holiday. Celebrated in Canada and the US, Thanksgiving is characterized by long-standing traditions. Despite its popularity, most people haven’t considered that it’s counter-cultural. Thanksgiving moves away from “rugged individualism” and the cultural focus on individual freedoms to a very different perspective on life. Join me in this video in thinking about the counter-cultural dimension of Thanksgiving.
The following is a text version of this blog posting.
Thanksgiving. People in the United States are making preparations for what’s often called “a uniquely American holiday.” In October, people in Canada mark Thanksgiving. In the United States, it’s the end of November. We gather with family, friends, and others to share a meal. In thinking about this holiday, it’s challenging to understand how the actual historical events morphed into the legends and traditions we have of this holiday. Even more challenging is how to connect gratitude with the events of history.
Historians tell us that the first Thanksgiving was not a meal shared between the Pilgrims and the Native peoples. The people we call Pilgrims, who called themselves Puritans, didn’t celebrate holidays. Even the celebration of Christmas was outlawed. The earliest records of anything related to Thanksgiving in the Massachusetts colony was a prayer service. The prayer service was held to mark the slaughter of Native Peoples. Remember that 90% of the Native People of what’s now New England died within a few years of their encounter with the Puritans. In other words, the Puritans pushed Native People off the land and gave thanks for their success.
There were other Thanksgivings in the colonies, too. There was a meal following a church service in the Virginia colony. There was also one in the Spanish colony of what’s now Florida. Across these events, colonists were thankful for their survival after occupying the lands of others and claiming them as their own. It’s for this reason that several Native tribes today mark Thanksgiving as a day of remembrance for those who died in those battles.
Across the last two centuries, Thanksgiving has taken on a different focus. It’s that focus of the holiday that I find noteworthy. While it’s important to recognize that mythology around Thanksgiving has nothing to do with history, I also think that what we do today to mark Thanksgiving is culturally significant. It’s on this holiday that people step away from work and gather with others. Mostly, we think of gatherings of family and friends. But even strangers who have nowhere else to go will gather in public settings to share a meal. In doing so, we step away from our day-to-day activities and take a break to be with others, to share our connections with others. Yes, those connections are sometimes difficult and awkward. But through these connections, we acknowledge that we are on this journey of life together.
The focus of Thanksgiving isn’t a commercial one, like at Christmas. Instead, it’s far more humble. It’s about a meal. Sharing food is the big event. Whether that meal is elegant or simple, it’s that meal that draws us together and reminds us that we share our lives with others.
While that first Thanksgiving is truly a scandal rooted in colonization and genocide, our holiday of Thanksgiving marks the recognition of the importance of our relationships with others. While our culture is very individualistic and built on the beliefs of making one’s own way and being the author of one’s own success, Thanksgiving is a reminder that we are always connected to others.
This Thanksgiving, let’s not forget what really happened on that first Thanksgiving. And let us also be thankful that we are people connected to others with whom we share our lives. Our connections with others are truly a great blessing in life.