Thanksgiving Day

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe

Thanksgiving Day is an American holiday, which is also commonly celebrated in Protestant churches to give thanks to God for harvest. However, Thanksgiving Day is not a commandment of God, nor a feast found in the Bible. Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States that originates from the Puritans who came to America in the 17th century, as a celebration of giving thanks for the first harvest.

A Biblical Perspective on Thanksgiving

Some churches explain the keeping of Thanksgiving Day by comparing it to the Day of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Tabernacles which are celebrated in the Bible. In actuality, Thanksgiving Day’s celebration has no connection to the feasts recorded in the Bible. Although the aforementioned feasts are related to the harvest of crops, they are kept on different dates, are celebrated differently, and hold completely different meanings from Thanksgiving Day. Moreover, the Day of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles in the Old Testament are completely fulfilled by Christ in the New Testament times. In the Bible, the Day of Firstfruits is kept as the Day of Resurrection, and commemorates the power of Jesus who was resurrected as the firstfruits of those who had fallen asleep. The Feast of Weeks was changed into the Day of Pentecost, during which God poured out the Holy Spirit on the early Church. Finally, the Feast of Tabernacles is to be fulfilled by gathering God’s people with the Holy Spirit of the Latter Rain. Thus, in the New Testament times, all these three feasts are no longer related to the harvest of crops. Despite this, some churches relate these feasts to the harvest of crops even in the New Testament times. This is because they do not distinguish between the feasts of the Old Testament and the feasts of the New Testament.

In the New Testament, Jesus strictly rebuked those who rejected God’s commandments while keeping human traditions. Because the Bible does not specify the Thanksgiving Day, some Protestants Christians criticize about keeping Thanksgiving Day as well as other man-made holidays like Christmas. Following the word of God in the Bible, the World Mission Society Church of God does not celebrate Thanksgiving Day, which is one of many man-made traditions kept by modern churches.

Origin of Thanksgiving Day

The Puritans were British Protestant Christians who fled to the Netherlands to escape the persecution of the Church of England (The Anglican Church), before setting out on a rough voyage across the Atlantic Ocean on a ship called the Mayflower in 1620. They landed by Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and called it “Plymouth.”
Upon arriving in the new continent after 65 days of sailing, they encountered cold weather and food shortages. During this time, out of the 102 people on the Mayflower, 44 of them died. Their situation took a turn for the better when some members of the Native American Wampanoah tribe came and supplied the Puritans with food, and even taught them how to grow and cultivate crops. The following year, in the fall of 1621, the Puritans invited the Native Americans to celebrate their first harvest; they caught a turkey for a festival and gave thanks to God. This day is known as the first Thanksgiving Day in the United States. From then on, a harvest festival, similar to those which have been observed as a folk custom in various countries, has become a church holiday, due to the influence of Thanksgiving Day which first appeared in the United States.

Dates and Characteristics of Thanksgiving by Country and Denomination

A picture expressing the characteristics of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in different ways, and has different origins, depending on a country and denomination.

• The United States

The harvest festival held by the British colonists and a Native American people in 1621 is the origin of Thanksgiving. In 1623, the State of Massachusetts declared Thanksgiving Day a holiday, and in 1789, the first President of the United States, George Washington, established November 26 as a national holiday. However, the third President, Thomas Jefferson, excluded Thanksgiving from the national calendar, claiming that it was British, so it was kept in only a few states. In the 1840s, American writer Sarah Josepha Hale insisted on keeping Thanksgiving as an annual feast by launching a national Thanksgiving campaign. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln officially declared Thursday, November 26, as Thanksgiving Day to arouse patriotism during the Civil War. Thanksgiving is now celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in accordance with a joint resolution of Congress in 1941 and a proclamation issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. On this day each year, American cities hold parades and other events.

• Canada

In 1578, Martin Frobisher led a successful expedition to the New World and celebrated the safe voyage, which later became Canadian Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was established through the Canadian Congress in 1879, and it is celebrated on the second Monday of October, about a month earlier than that of the United States. In Canada like the United States, it is customary for family and friends to gather together to eat turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.

• Switzerland

The Protestant Reformers in Switzerland kept it in September, and that continues to this day.

• Netherlands

In the Netherlands, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the Wednesday after the first Sunday of November.

• Germany

German Thanksgiving Day, called the Erntedankfes, is usually held on the first Sunday of October. However, since the festival is held with local foods such as specialty grapes and beer, the exact date varies. The Evangelium in Germany celebrated the Sunday after St. Michael’s Day (September 29) as Thanksgiving Day.

• South Korea

Most Protestant churches in South Korea, including the Presbyterian churches and Methodists, celebrate the third Sunday of November as Thanksgiving Day. The reason the Korean church started celebrating the American holiday was due to the influence of American missionaries as they began to evangelize in Korea. In 1904, the Council of Presbyterians of Korea decided to keep November 11 in the solar calendar as the Thanksgiving Day. Afterwards, in 1908, it was decided to keep it on the last Thursday in November, and changed it to the third Wednesday in November in 1914. This was done to commemorate the day when a Christian missionary first came to Korea. Protestant churches all over the country began to celebrate Thanksgiving after they decided to commemorate it on the second Wednesday of November through the Presbyterian and Methodist United Council in 1921. Some in the religious field raised the question as to why American Thanksgiving should be kept in Korea, and they suggested celebrating it around the traditional Korean harvest festival called Chuseok. Some large churches or denominations may choose a date on their own each year according to their pastoral schedules from October to November.

• Catholic Church

The Catholic Church does not commemorate Thanksgiving Day on a global or official scale. On the 40th day after the Resurrection Day, they celebrate a three-day festival for a good harvest before the Ascension Day.

In South Korea, Thanksgiving Mass is held with a table with food for ancestors during the harvest season in autumn or on Chuseok. Sometimes, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the last Sunday of the year according to the Catholic calendar, based on the Feast of Christ the King.

See also

• Lord’s Day Worship (Sunday Worship)
• Christmas
• Teachings of Men