As I'm sure most of us know: Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Traditionally, it has been a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. While it may have been religious in origin, Thanksgiving is now primarily identified as a secular holiday.
This is the portion that is new to me: The precise historical origin of the holiday is disputed. Although Americans commonly believe that the first Thanksgiving happened in 1621 at Plymouth, Massachusetts, there is some evidence for an earlier harvest celebration by Spanish explorers in Florida during 1565.
I live and work in Jacksonville, Florida, which is right up the road from St. Augustine, the nation's oldest city, which makes me wonder if that could have been the site of the Spanish harvest celebration.
Enjoy today with your family, friends, and community everyone!
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