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.
他在美国感恩节的庆祝很可能是来自最初在英格兰举行的收获回家仪式。这些被保留天感谢上帝丰富的作物和丰收。因此，这个假期仍然发生在秋季后期，已经收集农作物后。最近，感恩节在美国通常是一个家庭的事，丰盛的晚餐和幸福的团聚，但是，它也是传统上是一个严重的宗教沉思，教堂礼拜和祈的时间。
感恩节在美国的第一个遵守完全是宗教性和参与任何形式的灯红酒绿。1619年12月4日，一组38英国移民来到伯克利分校的詹姆斯河种植...弗吉尼亚州查尔斯市，现在已知的位置。本集团的章程要求，作为对上帝的感恩节观察一天的到来。
在新英格兰地区的第一个感恩节的庆祝活动在1621年，一点点不到一年后，普利茅斯殖民者曾在美国定居。作为朝圣者之称，他们已成立了一个叫五月花号船，1620年9月6日，英国普利茅斯起航。他们是财富猎人，足智多谋的“新世界”的约束。五月花是男人，妇女和儿童拥挤的小型船舶，除了船上的水手。机上乘客包括“分裂主义”，他称自己为“圣人”，和其他人的分裂分子所谓的“陌生人”。
土地后在11月发现以下一个致命的航行66天，举行了一次会议，是圣徒和陌生人之间的停战协定。它被称为“五月花号公约。该协议保证两组的成员之间的平等。他们合并在一起，作为公认的“朝圣者”。他们当选为他们的第一个州长约翰卡弗。
然而，流行的观点相反，洛克是不是原殖民地的网站。当朝圣者1620年12月11日，降落在寻找新鲜的规定，他们打招呼的敌意在附近的当地人，几乎一次出海。一点点再往南，他们遇到的科德角，一个更加有利的锚地比普利茅斯已被证明是一个外来人口，这是在性质上更加亲切。从他们的航程和厌倦没有心情追捕其“宪章”(这是相当进一步沿海岸的某处在弗吉尼亚州的普利茅斯公司原授予的限制)规定的站点，香客决定建立自己的殖民地内这种友好的领土。
马萨诸塞州，最初的严酷的冬季，杀害了约一半原来的102殖民者。在1621以下的春天，印度人，两个勇敢的命名Samoset(Wampanoag部落)和Squanto(Patuxtet部落)领导，教授的幸存者如何种植玉米(当地人称为“玉米”)，以及如何捕捉为了alewives(各种鲱鱼家族的)鱼可能被用来作为一个化肥增长南瓜，豆类等作物。Samsoset和Squanto还指示在狩猎和垂钓的艺术朝圣者。那年夏天，尽管豌豆，小麦和大麦歉收，一个良好的玉米产量预计和南瓜收成丰硕。在初秋，承认给予帮助印第安人的殖民者给有survivied感谢，州长威廉布拉德福德安排了一个丰收的节日。四名男子被送往“打鸟”后，鸭，鹅。土耳其可能会或可能不会一直因为“土耳其”是由朝圣者用来指任何类型的野生禽鸟即将到来的一餐的一部分。
艺术节历时3天。Massasoit，当地的SACHEM或行政的Wampanoag连同90印第安人各部落的东部林地，参加了仪式。可以毫无疑问，最有可能由土著人口提供了大多数的盛宴。可以肯定的是，他们提供的鹿肉。餐的其余部分，围绕吃大型表的户外，也可能包括鱼，浆果，煮南瓜，水芹，韭菜，龙虾，干果，蛤，野生李子和面包。相信这首新英格兰感恩节的庆祝活动是9月21日和11月9日之间的某个时候发生了。
然而，事件是一次性的庆祝活动。，这不是重复次年，也不是它打算成为一年一度的节日。但直到55年后比另一个感恩节正式宣布时，理事会，美国马萨诸塞州的查尔斯顿，1676年6月20日召开的权衡如何以最佳方式表达感谢已获得他们的社区建立良好的财富。经投票一致，爱德华罗森(理事会秘书)奉命到6月29日公布的感恩节。再次，这被证明是唯一一个一次性事件。