Thanksgiving Day: Difference between revisions
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== Origin of Thanksgiving Day == | == Origin of Thanksgiving Day == | ||
The British Puritans, who fled to the Netherlands to escape the persecution of the Church of England (Anglican Church) in 1620, set out on a rough voyage across the Atlantic Ocean on the Mayflower. They arrived in Plymouth, a port city near Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States today.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/united-states-and-canada/us-history/plymouth-colony |title=Plymouth Colony |website=Encyclopedia.com |publisher= |date=June 8, 2018 |year= |author= |page= |series= |isbn= |quote= }}</ref> <br>When they arrived in the new continent after 65 days of sailing, what waited for them was cold weather and food shortages. Forty-four out of 102 people who rode the Mayflower died. At that time, Native Americans came and helped them. The Wampanoag tribe gave food to the Puritans and taught them how to 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. Since then, a harvest festival, which had been observed as a folk custom in each country, has become a church holiday due to the influence of Thanksgiving Day which was officially enacted in the United States.<ref name="파이낸스">{{인용 |url=https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving#:~:text=In%201621%2C%20the%20Plymouth%20colonists,by%20individual%20colonies%20and%20states. |title=Thanksgiving 2022 |website=History.com |date=October 27, 2009}}</ref> | The British Puritans, who fled to the Netherlands to escape the persecution of the Church of England (Anglican Church) in 1620, set out on a rough voyage across the Atlantic Ocean on the [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mayflower-ship Mayflower]. They arrived in [https://www.britannica.com/place/Plymouth-Massachusetts Plymouth], a port city near Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States today.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/united-states-and-canada/us-history/plymouth-colony |title=Plymouth Colony |website=Encyclopedia.com |publisher= |date=June 8, 2018 |year= |author= |page= |series= |isbn= |quote= }}</ref> <br>When they arrived in the new continent after 65 days of sailing, what waited for them was cold weather and food shortages. Forty-four out of 102 people who rode the Mayflower died. At that time, Native Americans came and helped them. The Wampanoag tribe gave food to the Puritans and taught them how to 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. Since then, a harvest festival, which had been observed as a folk custom in each country, has become a church holiday due to the influence of Thanksgiving Day which was officially enacted in the United States.<ref name="파이낸스">{{인용 |url=https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving#:~:text=In%201621%2C%20the%20Plymouth%20colonists,by%20individual%20colonies%20and%20states. |title=Thanksgiving 2022 |website=History.com |date=October 27, 2009}}</ref> | ||
==Dates and Characteristics of Thanksgiving by Country and Denomination== | ==Dates and Characteristics of Thanksgiving by Country and Denomination== | ||
Revision as of 16:26, 13 February 2023
Thanksgiving Day is a feast commonly celebrated in Protestant churches to give thanks to God for harvest. However, Thanksgiving Day is not God’s commandments or a feast found in the Bible. It is a national holiday in the United States that originated from the celebration of thanksgiving for the first harvest in the fall of the following year after British Puritans][1]migrated to the United States around the 17th century.
A Biblical Perspective on Thanksgiving
Some may try to explain Thanksgiving Day by comparing it to the Day of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Tabernacles celebrated in the Bible, but Thanksgiving Day has nothing to do with the feasts of the Bible.[2][3] Although these feasts are related to the harvest of crops, they have a different date, a different way of celebrating, and a completely different meaning from Thanksgiving Day. Moreover, the Day of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles in the Old Testament are completely changed by Christ in the New Testament times. The Day of Firstfruits is celebrated as the Day of Resurrection to commemorate the power of Jesus’ resurrection as the firstfruits of those who had fallen asleep. The Feast of Weeks was fulfilled as the Day of Pentecost when God poured out the Holy Spirit, and the Feast of Tabernacles is fulfilled by gathering God’s people. In the New Testament times, all these three feasts are no longer related to the harvest of crops. Yet the churches in the world relate these feasts to the harvest of crops in the New Testament times. It is because they fail to 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 and kept man’s traditions.[4] Since the Bible does not specify the Thanksgiving Day, some Protestants criticize about keeping Thanksgiving Day as well as Christmas. By following the word of God in the Bible, the World Mission Society Church of God does not celebrate Thanksgiving Day, which is one of the rules taught by men.[2]
Origin of Thanksgiving Day
The British Puritans, who fled to the Netherlands to escape the persecution of the Church of England (Anglican Church) in 1620, set out on a rough voyage across the Atlantic Ocean on the Mayflower. They arrived in Plymouth, a port city near Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States today.[5]
When they arrived in the new continent after 65 days of sailing, what waited for them was cold weather and food shortages. Forty-four out of 102 people who rode the Mayflower died. At that time, Native Americans came and helped them. The Wampanoag tribe gave food to the Puritans and taught them how to 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. Since then, a harvest festival, which had been observed as a folk custom in each country, has become a church holiday due to the influence of Thanksgiving Day which was officially enacted in the United States.[6]
Dates and Characteristics of Thanksgiving by Country and Denomination
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Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in different ways, and has different origins, depending on a country and denomination.
- U.S.
- The harvest festival held by the British colonists and the native Wampanoag tribe in 1621 is the origin of Thanksgiving.[7] In 1623, the State of Massachusetts declared the Thanksgiving Day,[6] and in 1789, the first President of the United States, George Washington, established November 26 as a national holiday.[8][9] However, the third President, Thomas Jefferson, excluded Thanksgiving from a national holiday, claiming that it was British, so it was kept in only a few states.[10] In the 1840s, American writer Sarah Josepha Hale insisted on keeping Thanksgiving as an annual feast by launching a national Thanksgiving campaign.[11][12] In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln officially declared Thursday, November 26, as Thanksgiving Day to arouse patriotism during the Civil War.[13] 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 city holds a colorful parade.[7]
- Canada
- In 1578, an expedition led by Martin Frobisher celebrated the safe voyage, which is the origin of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was established through Congress in 1879, and it is celebrated on the second Monday of October, about a month earlier than that of the United States.[7] In Canada like the United States, it is customary for family and friends to gather together to eat turkey, cranberry, and pumpkin pie.[14]
- Switzerland
- The Protestant Reformers in Switzerland keep it in September.[15]
- Netherlands
- It is celebrated on the Wednesday after the first Sunday of November.[16]
- Germany
- German Thanksgiving Day, called the Erntedankfes, is usually held on the first Sunday of October. However, since the festival is held with local specialties such as grapes and beer, the date may be different for each region.[17] The Evangelium in Germany celebrated the Sunday after St. Michael’s Day (September 29) as Thanksgiving Day.[18][19][20]
- Korea
- Most Protestant churches in 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 the influence of American missionaries during the enlightenment period. 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. It commemorates the day when a missionary came to Korea for the first time. 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.[18][2] Some people in the religious field ask why American Thanksgiving should be kept in Korea and they suggest to celebrate 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
- It is known that the Catholic Church does not commemorate Thanksgiving Day throughout the world. However, the Catholic media say that Thanksgiving Day Mass is held in the United State on the fourth Thursday of November which is a national holiday.[19][21] The 40th day after the Resurrection Day, they also celebrated a festival for good harvest for three days before the Ascension Day.[18]
- In Korea, Thanksgiving Mass is held with a table with food for ancestors around a harvest season in autumn or on Chuseok.[22][23] Sometimes, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the last Sunday of the year according to Catholic calendar, based on the Feast of Christ the King.[24]
See also
References
- ↑ "Puritans". Encyclopedia.com. May 23, 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Which One Is Right between the Feast of Tabernacles and Thanksgiving Day?, WATV.org
- ↑ General Biblical Instructions, First Fruits: Stewardship Thoughts and Stories from Around the World, Paul R. Lindholm, pg. 81
- ↑ "Mark 7:6:7".
- ↑ "Plymouth Colony". Encyclopedia.com. June 8, 2018.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Thanksgiving 2022", History.com, October 27, 2009
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Thanksgiving Day Britannica
- ↑ Thanksgiving Day, Today in History - November 26, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
- ↑ 1789, United States Facts and Dates, Lionel De Leon, 2012, pg. 9
- ↑ "In America, there was a time when even 'Thanksgiving' was a fightin' word". Los Angeles Times. November 23, 2017.
- ↑ Sarah Josepha Hale: The Godmother of Thanksgiving, October 28, 2021, Almanac.com
- ↑ "Thanksgiving Wasn't Always a National Holiday. This Woman Made It Happen". HISTORY, TIME. November 23, 2016.
- ↑ "Lincoln and Thanksgiving". National Park Service.
- ↑ "15 Fun Facts About Canadian Thanksgiving". Modern Mississauga. September 20, 2022.
- ↑ Federal Fast Day 2023, 2024 and 2025, Public Holidays Global
- ↑ A Thanksgiving story: How the Netherlands played a part in the American holiday, DutchNews.nl, November 20, 2017
- ↑ "This Is How 15 Other Countries Around The World Celebrate Thanksgiving". ati. November 7, 2021.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 If Chuseok's a Holiday, German's Harvest Festival is a Celebration, Asia Economy, September 22, 2010
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Thanksgiving Day, Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
- ↑ Preaching in Hitler's Shadow: Sermons of Resistance in the Third Reich, Dean G. Stroud, pg. 95
- ↑ Downscaling Thanksgiving Due to COVID19, How's it Different from Chuseok?, Asia Economy, October 1, 2020
- ↑ Thanksgiving Day Mass, Catholic Guide
- ↑ [FunFun Precedent] (36) Hangawi Mass with Ancestral Rite Table?, Catholic Newspaper, September 11, 2016
- ↑ Suwon Diocese, Farmers Pastoral Commission Thanksgiving Mass, Catholic Newspaper