The True Story of the “First” Thanksgiving
A brief early history of the autumn holiday
Every year, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. Much is made about pilgrims, Native Americans, family, and food. Many people cite the “first Thanksgiving” as inspiration for the holiday. The problem is, the so-called First Thanksgiving is a sham. The idea that American pilgrims were the first people to come together and share meals around harvest time as a show of gratitude for another year is completely false and extremely pretentious.
Americans saying that the First Thanksgiving was their invention is akin to someone saying that their birthday was the first one ever celebrated. Thanksgiving certainly is a warm and traditional holiday with deep historic roots but those roots have been largely misconstrued from their true origins.
The truth is no one really knows when the first “thanksgiving” was actually held. Thanksgiving festivities in North America were derived from other far more ancient festivals and have a murkier and broader history than most Americans know.
The earliest thanksgivings
The act of thanksgiving has been around since Europeans first landed in North America. The very earliest accounts of hosting a ceremony or meal to give thanks…
