Thanksgiving

In the month of November, we all think of fall colors, hot cocoa, and cozy nights by the fire. Many also think of a long weekend, with football, family, and promising food. November graces us with the festive holiday event of Thanksgiving. Over the years, we all have found what it means to be thankful cherishing our families and friends, and the beauty that surrounds us everyday is a day of giving thanks. During this time we tend to reflect back to the teachings of the great meal the Pilgrims and Indians shared, complete with turkey, pumpkin pie, corn, cranberries and sweet potatoes, marking the first Thanksgiving Day in the New World. Was it really that simple? 

The flowering of the Thanksgiving holiday was a bit more than that. Many analysts argue that although the Pilgrims did indeed hold a thanksgiving celebration, it did not become an annual tradition, thus, this celebration did not initiate the Thanksgiving holiday. Also, some argue that the settlers did not view it as a thanksgiving holiday. It was merely a harvest festival, and these devoutly religious people would give thanks to God by fasting and prayer. In truth, several such o­ne-time thanksgiving celebrations occurred before the holiday was set in place.

When George Washington became president, he declared a day of thanksgiving and prayer, but the nation was not yet united enough to launch such a national holiday. The Pilgrims' celebration was initially referred to as the first Thanksgiving in 1841 by Alexander Young in his Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers. At that point the holiday was slowly becoming more widespread and was declared a national holiday in 1863 by President Lincoln.
Many people take a step back into history to relive these experiences and mingle with famous statesmen, soldiers, craftsmen, clergymen and citizens who gather for a Day of Public Thanksgiving at the annual Jeffersonian Thanksgiving Festival in historic downtown Charlottesville. There are over sixty events and activities that are designed to let you experience what that community was like during the American Revolution.

 At several different venues, you will meet about 150 costumed professional and amateur living historians and dramatic artists portraying famous people from the past who lived or visited the area. Many of these people will be interpreted using their own original writings, either in short dramatic discussions and meetings, or in informal conversations as you meet them roaming about Court Square, Lee Park, or the Downtown Mall.

An important historical place to visit is Plymouth Rock. It's housed within the smallest state park in Massachusetts, Pilgrim Memorial State Park, which is visited by nearly o­ne million people each year. According to legend, Plymouth Rock is the boulder upon which the Pilgrims landed when they arrived at the location of their permanent settlement in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620.  Most first-time visitors to "the rock" are a bit surprised by its smallness. How could such a monumental artifact in American history be so puny? For starters, the well intentioned residents of Plymouth who first set out to preserve the symbolic rock in 1774 had the unpleasant experience of watching the rock split in two when a team of oxen attempted to raise it. o­nly the upper portion of Plymouth Rock left the waterfront originally for display in the Town Square. 

Remember the bottom part of the rock that was left behind at the waterfront? The Pilgrim Society acquired the other half of Plymouth Rock in 1859, and in 1867, a Plymouth Rock canopy structure was completed at the waterfront to house it. Unfortunately, the canopy was not large enough to hold the whole rock, so a few pieces had to be hacked off and sold as souvenirs.

Plymouth Rock remains a powerful tribute to the courage of the 102 Mayflower passengers who founded the land we know as New England.