I'm an American and will be out of the country this Thanksgiving. The small group of Americans that I am with will be hosting a Thanksgiving party in an effort to introduce the holiday to some people completely unfamiliar with it. One thing we would like to do is give a short overview of the Thanksgiving story in 5-10 minutes. As I'm thinking about this I realize how completely ignorant I am of the actual history of the holiday. I'm wondering if anybody can help educate me by either providing a brief summary or at least giving me some high points that absolutely cannot be left out.
Thanksgiving: There is mythology. There is history. There is actual practice. All are different. As usual, the mythology is the most interesting.
The mythology:
In 1620 the Pilgrims traveled from England to Plymouth Plantation to establish the 2nd English colony in North America aboard the good ship "Mayflower". They were unable to practice their religion in England, so they were coming to America in search of religious freedom.
They didn't have much of a clue how to be pioneers, or farmers, or survive in a wilderness (being urban types), so, many of the poor Pilgrims died in the first harsh New England Winter.
Luckily they met a friendly Indian named Squanto, who spoke English. He helped them make friends with the local Indians. They taught the Pilgrims to grow North American foods, like corn, and hunt North American game, like Turkeys.
As the second winter approached, the Pilgrims collected their harvest and were content, for they had a mighty surplus of provisions. So they had a great feast of Thanksgiving, where they invited the Indians and spent 3 days feasting and having a great time.
Today we continue this tradition, having a feast of New World foods (Turkey, Cranberries, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Pumpkin Pie), and giving thanks for our blessings.
That's the myth.
The History:
Oddly enough, pretty much the same as the myth! OK, our eminent historians can nit-pick at the details, and argue about whether today's tradition truly descends in unbroken tradition from the Pilgrims, and just what they ate at the feast, and how many Indians were there.
Essentially, the Myth is the Reality (which is very cool!)
The Practice Today:
Well, oddly enough, it is a HUGE American holiday. The busiest travel days of the year are just before and after Thanksgiving. The airlines get all snarled up. The airports are jammed. Everyone goes to get together with family. Everyone but killjoys and iconoclasts eats way too much turkey. Lots of people watch football on TV in the afternoon. Lots of people go shopping for Christmas present bargains on "Black Friday" (the Friday after Thanksgiving - which, by the way is always on the 4th Thursday in November, so it is one of those annoying holidays which moves its date around, but on the plus side, everyone gets a four day weekend).
There you go. Thanksgiving in a nutshell. It is such a cool holiday that the envious Canadians had to copy it (but put theirs on a different date).