Posted on 11/23/2017 8:19:15 AM PST by Perseverando
Detail of the 1914 Jennie Brownscombe painting The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth.
The Pilgrims fled England because of religious persecution and lived in Leiden, Holland from 1609 to 1620. Each October, Leiden, Holland, celebrated an annual day of thanksgiving for the end of the bloody pillaging, called Spanish Furies committed by Spains Iron Duke from 1572 to 1589.
Leiden also had a Jewish population. Spain had driven out the Muslims, who had occupied their country for seven centuries, but then they forced the Jews out, with many fleeing to Holland. The University of Leiden became a center for studying Hebrew, Aramaic and Syriac. A rabbi reportedly taught in Leiden, as did Pilgrim leader William Brewster.
There the Pilgrims would have become acquainted with Sephardic Jews and their feast of thanksgiving known as Sukkot, which was celebrated annually September-October.
In 1620, the Pilgrims left Holland for England, then intended to sail to Jamestown, but got blown off course to Massachusetts. Half of the Pilgrims died the first winter, but the next year, with the help of Squanto, the Pilgrims had an abundant harvest in 1621. Squanto also put the Pilgrims on good terms with the Wampanoag tribe.
Pilgrim leader Edward Winslow wrote: Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom
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It just amazes me how America and our leaders continually choose to run toward the precipice of self destruction like the proverbial lemmings, but God keeps holding us back from going over the edge time after time.
God bless America! (And He has.) So let us bless Him by giving thanks with a grateful heart today and every day.
A happy and blessed Thanksgiving to you, fellow Freepers and your families!
A happy and wonderful Thanksgiving to you and your family, Perseverando!! (((Hugs))) Mom
And to you and yours also, Momtothree!
Harvest festivals have been held from times immemorial throughout the world. Feasting and praise to whatever powers that made the harvest fruitful possible have been rendered in many places and societies, but the custom of making it a thanksgiving as well as a community celebration seems to taken on a peculiar American embellishment, including intra-family fights and the suppression of generally boorish behavior only as long as mouths are stuffed with food.
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ His Son...
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Taking a break from setting up for dinner today. I invited a crew member to stay over since he's stuck in Seattle.
That is great, we will have a couple of neighbors over this evening.
Got the Turkey in and pies ready, now it's on to the sides :)
~Tom
” Resolved, in perfect reliance on that gracious Providence which so signally displays its goodness towards this country to reduce the refractory to a due subordination to the law. To call to mind that, as the people of the United States have been permitted, under Divine favor, in perfect freedom, after solemn deliberation, and in an enlightened age, to elect their own government, so will their gratitude for this inestimable blessing be best distinguished by firm exertions to maintain the Constitution and the laws.
I’d been singing that song all morning...
its an old favorite...
:)
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