American Thanksgiving: What is Lost, What Lives On? A Foreigner's Perspective
Frankly, I have lived here too long and experienced enough Thanksgivings to still consider this celebration “foreign”. But, I was born and grew up in a country where Thanksgiving Day was not a public holiday. Worldwide, only about seventeen nations celebrate Thanksgiving. Some of these observances are done to mark colonial migrations, new lunar cycles, or to welcome the harvesting season. Here, in the USA, Thanksgiving has its origin in a 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people. As the story goes, the harvest of that year was so bountiful that the feast to celebrate it lasted a whopping three days. The turkey, which is the iconic bird associated with Thanksgiving, is believed to have been the central meat dish in those 1621 festivities. Three observations can be made about the 1621 celebration, (Well, more observations can be made, but I will limit myself to three.). The first is that the people were clearly intent on showing gratitude for the return of their hard labor. The second is that they intended to celebrate in an excessive manner. Thirdly, they chose to celebrate together; a party between Foreign English folks and Native Indians. In short, gratitude, excess, and togetherness, were the hallmarks of this 1621 festival. This article examines, in a broad way, some of the sentiments that have been retained since that day in 1621.
Togetherness
Over the years, as the social and political climates of the country changed, so too did the spirit in which Americans engage this ceremony. For one, present-day celebrations usually do not consist of people from different racial, ethnic, or tribal backgrounds. Following from many internal unrests and civil wars between different groups in America, the meaning and spirit of “togetherness” has evolved in such a way as to exclude any persons who are considered “others”. Gone is the notion created by the Pilgrims and Wampanoag people that they will share all the produce of the land fairly with each other. In modern times, only familiar faces grace the thanksgiving table, and little to no space is left for foreign or alien faces. Resources and produces are shared only within close knit circles. In my opinion, changing the meaning and spirit of “togetherness” has caused and has been caused by a breakdown in American community. There is no doubt that tables around which different voices and faces are appreciated are indicative of fruitfulness and the possibility for even greater future productivity. However, I will not belabor that point here. Those in America and around the world are sufficiently aware of the tensions within the US that continue to push alien faces and voices out of the room.
We can only hope that one day, the spirit of togetherness as captured in the 1621 feast will return to America.
Excess
Celebration through shared meals is not unique to Thanksgiving in any way. Undoubtedly, some of the biggest celebrations in life are commemorated around the dinner table. However, because Thanksgiving is the celebration of a huge harvest, it is most fitting that this celebration occurs around a super-sized table. Americans go all out to place large quantities of food on the table during this time. Pies of all textures and tastes are served for desserts. Pecan pie and Potato Pie are the two that are most likely to make it out of the oven even if other varieties don’t. Then as side dishes, there are green beans, macaroni pie, mashed potatoes and gravy, collard greens, cranberry sauce, turkey stuffing, and the list goes on. Different groups within America will add or subtract side dishes as their sub-cultures dictate but the central spot in the table is always reserved for the famous turkey. And, the person who has been tasked with carving the turkey knows that he or she has been bestowed with great honor and responsibility. This simple act of partitioning and handing out the meat captures the spirit of the festival. In this divvying up of the turkey, compassion, care, hope, and love are exemplified. The sharing of the meal and the turkey is reminiscent of what occurred between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people. This giving and receiving recreates the atmosphere of thankfulness that was crucial to the original festivities.
Gratitude
It would be remiss of us to think that the original celebration was due only to a bountiful harvest and the physical provisions. Beyond the food and the material possessions was a thankfulness for family, for friends, and for a blessed life. That type of thankfulness is why even I, as a foreigner, who have never developed a love for the taste of turkey, can join in and experience the true spirit of this ceremony. The tangible expressions of love bind us all together as it passes around the thanksgiving table.
So, every year, my husband and I stick a turkey in the oven and cook it to perfection.
We eat only a small portion of it and feed the rest to other mouths. We do it because we too have countless reasons to be thankful. We are thankful for God’s unending provisions and for the people He sends across our paths daily. And like present day Americans, we have tweaked the festivities to match our cultural backgrounds. Some years, we do German dumplings and rice and peas as side dishes. This year, instead of making potato pie from one of the traditional American recipes, I created my own version of Sweet Potato Bread Pudding with a Pineapple Coconut Rum Sauce. These variations honor our origins and allow us to join with Americans as we give thanks for prosperity. And again, I don’t mean “prosperity” solely from a materialistic point of view, I mean prosperity in the sense that despite the struggles and hardships we endured throughout the year of 2020, God brought us through.
Lessons/Takeaways
This year, wherever we are in the world, we have much to be thankful for. 2020 has not been easy for most of us. Some of us have lost loved-ones, fallen sick, lost our jobs, or our homes. Yet, whilst there is breath in our bodies, that is a sign that hope lives on. We may not be able to gather in the ways we did in former years, we may have to eat significantly less, many of us will have to forfeit the traditional Black Friday Sales rush. However, the sound of breath as it enters and leaves our bodies is a most precious commodity and is more than enough to give thanks for. And if we still have family members or friends, then we possess indescribable blessings. So, whether we are foreigners or locals, whether we celebrate Thanksgiving as a national holiday or not, let us grasp on to the hope and gratitude which is at the heart of Thanksgiving. At this time of year, today, even now, take the time to notice the sparkle in your family’s eyes, feel the warmth of a friend, listen to your own heartbeat and your breath. Be Thankful!
Watch the video below for the recipe for my Sweet Potato Bread Pudding with Pineapple Coconut Rum Sauce.
Find similar travel-related blogs by clicking here.
Also, don't forget to like and share this article.
(Some of the photos used in this article do not belong to me.)
Comments