The Origin of Thanksgiving

Credits to : The First Thanksgiving by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November. It became an official Federal holiday in 1863, when, during theCivil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens", to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26. As a federal and public holiday in the U.S., Thanksgiving is one of the major holidays of the year. Together with Christmas and New Year, Thanksgiving is a part of the broader holiday season.

The idea of this feast day is to celebrate divine providence that goes back to prehistoric times. There are mentions of such days in all sorts of ancient literature from all around the world.

The modern American holiday originates with an account of a thanksgiving amongst the people of the Plimoth Colony in Massachusetts in 1621, in celebration of their first harvest. In fact, that group of settlers held several thanksgivings over the years, generally to celebrate harvests but also small ones for other occasions. With time, thanksgivings became just as much a civil observance as a religious one.

Different parts of the British colonies in North America, and later the US, held irregular or semi-regular Thanksgiving days each year, often proclaimed by town councils or by governors.

The first national day of Thanksgiving was proclaimed by Continental Congress in 1777 in York, PA for December 18 of that year, and George Washington proclaimed it a day of Thanksgiving for the victory at Saratoga. Subsequent to that, there were about a half-dozen Thanksgivings declared between the War for Independence and the US Civil War.

Between 1939 and 1942 there were some shenanigans regarding which Thursday Thanksgiving would be celebrated on when FDR declared the date to occur on the 4th Thursday of the month (instead of the last Thursday; there were 5 Thursdays in November that year) so as to provide businesses an extra week for their Christmas sales season. In 1942, the date was fixed as the 4th Thursday and has been ever since.

 So how did Thanksgiving come to be? And why is it celebrated in America? It all started when a group of colonists left Great Britain in search of home in the new world many centuries ago. They wanted to break free from the rules of the church and practice their faith in peace. After an arduous sail that lasted several weeks, the Pilgrims, as they are commonly referred to as today, decided to settle down in a place called Plymouth in the present-day Massachusetts in the USA. When the Pilgrims moved ashore, they received a friendly visit from the Native Indians who then taught the immigrants how to plant corn, smoke and dry indigenous meat, and identify poisonous herbs and berries. A year later, when the newcomer’s first harvest was bountiful, they organised a celebratory feast and invited their Native American friends to join in. This is remembered as America’s first Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Day in the US is celebrated by most people (80 to 90+%). A typical Thanksgiving Day involves grown children traveling to their parents’ house, often with extended family if they are not too far away, to enjoy a festive meal together as a family. People also often invite guests who either do not have family they can visit, or perhaps they have none, or are unable to travel.

People who have no family, or have a small family, or are traveling, may go out to eat at a restaurant, which will also serve the typical ‘Thanksgiving Day’ meal of turkey, cornbread dressing, corn or beans (or both), potatoes and warm rolls.

How to Teach Children the Meaning of Thanksgiving

Teach them to start giving to people. Help them find a charity or a cause they can donate to. You can talk to them about people who are less fortunate than them, and explain how they are. Maybe it's a broken family, or the parents don't have a job and can't afford a lot. Help them gather things they don't need or use anymore, and give it to someone or an organization who needs it. Help them do things for others that they can't do for themselves. By doing things for others, they will soon have that sense of Thanksgiving in their hearts.

Share things and experiences thankful for. During Thanksgiving dinner, have each person share what they are thankful for this year. You can also make a “Give Thanks” journal or notepad to record this in to look through each year. This is a good opportunity to reflect on the good things happening in our lives, and can be a life lesson on being grateful and cherishing the small, precious moments that come our way. 

Have fun with your family. Sometimes children spend long hours at the kid’s table while grown-ups talk and talk. Be sure fun family activities and enjoying one another is a top priority on Thanksgiving. Maybe you can start a new tradition like going outside and playing a family game of football, or even creating a Thanksgiving Trivia activity. Here are a few fun facts to get you started:

Put aside personal differences. Families can be wonderful and enjoyable, but tension and stress are often a part of family get-togethers. Vow to put aside differences on Thanksgiving and focus on the aspects of your family for which you are grateful. While easier said than done, this provides an excellent model for children as they learn about relationships and family.

Pray.Take some time before enjoying Thanksgiving dinner to pray together, thanking God for the year’s blessings and for others who may be going through hard times during the holiday season.

What foods to prepare during Thanksgiving

To start with the most basic answer; turkey. Mmmmmm…. But along with that, stuffing, mashed potatoes, some kind of green beans, usually some kind of pearl onions stewed in cream. But, most importantly, gravy. Over everything, and lots of it. Can’t go wrong with gravy, ever. (Well, except maybe for dessert.) But nothing beats more in sticking to a healthy Thanksgiving feast specially for our family.

Food as they say has to serve the primary purpose - that is to preserve life, till the next meal. Nutrition is the most important factor for healthy living. We eat a lot of things in our daily diet that taste good and delicious. But how many have nutritional benefits matters a lot for promoting health and strong living. There are many foods available in this world that have best taste and also have incredible health benefits.

Here at Miracle in the Green we have the Oringaa, Moringa Powder, packed with vitamins and minerals and offers high-quality 100% USDA certified organic moringa powder. If you want to ensure that your body is always ready to fight off infection and illness, having a strong immune system is a must. Moringa powder is full of iron and vitamin A, which both contribute to a healthy, strong immune system. That cold won’t be around for long with moringa powder. It can be used in many different ways like a mixture to your favorite smoothies and salads. You can also bake nutritious bread with our Oringga. Check out our recipes made of Oringga, Moringa powder. Below is one of the many.

BANANA BREAD MINIS: DELICIOUSLY SIMPLE

The great thing about banana bread is you don't need a lot of ingredients. You can use things already in your kitchen. You can make them in an hour. Easy Peasy.

BANANA BREAD MINIS

Ingredients

6 ripe bananas

2/3 cups butter

1 cup honey

2 eggs

4 teaspoons of vanilla

2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups of Almond flour (Keeping it healthy)

Optional: walnuts,Oringga, cayenne pepper

Makes 12 minis

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Butter the pans

Mash up 6 ripe bananas with a mashed potatoes masher

In a bowl add 2/3 cup of grass-fed butter. (we love Kerrygold), I have a cup of honey (Add more if you want), 2 eggs. Mix in 4 teaspoons of vanilla (use Mexican Vanilla). Mix in. Sprinkle 2 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix. Add 3 cups of flour 1/3 cup at a time. Mix. Add in the next third. Mix. Add the last third. Mix. Optional; Add oringaa (Moringa powder) or nuts (walnuts) or cayenne pepper. Mix.

Add mixture in the buttered pans and into the oven for about 30 mins or less.

Use a butter knife or spatula to loosen the sides. Slowly bring them out...YUM!

And the smell of your kitchen is DELISH...!!!

 Good nutrition is the key to good mental and physical health. No matter what season or any occasions. Eating a balanced diet is an important part of good health for everyone. The kind and amount of food you eat affects the way you feel and how your body works.

Eating a balanced diet is vital for good health and well-being. Food provides our bodies with the energy, protein, essential fats, vitamins and minerals to live, grow and function properly. We need a wide variety of different foods to provide the right amounts of nutrients for good health.

Happy healthy Thanksgiving from the Miracle in the Green family to yours!

Love + miracles,