Did you know that before there was an official day for Thanksgiving that many ancient farmers would hold Autumn Harvest festivals and celebrations? You can look back in history and find different cultures such as the Greeks, the Romans, the Hebrews and even the Egyptians had these festivals for various reasons.
The first winter (December 1620) for the Pilgrims was devastating. At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. While many had died by the following fall of 1621, the Pilgrims celebrated with a festival for having a prosperous harvest. The Pilgrims found themselves with enough food to make it through the winter. Their Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians. This annual celebration continued through out the years even through the American Revolution at which time the American Congress suggested that it be declared a national day of thanksgiving.
In 1817, New York adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom. By the middle of the 19th century, more and more states were celebrating this custom. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday. I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for visiting my site http://cyndisloop4indyhomes.com .
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