399 years later, there is still much to be thankful for

Nation still has rough edges, but we strive for growth, betterment

Today, we settle in for a delicious holiday feast, which traditionally includes turkey, stuffing, cranberries, potatoes and pie.

But did you know this idea of this feast – of giving thanks for and sharing a bountiful harvest – dates back almost 400 years?

The meal looks significantly different than it did originally, and this year, COVID restrictions mean that many families are forgoing the “sharing” element.

However, there is much for which we can still give thanks.

First, let’s look at the history.

In September of 1620 – 400 years ago – the Mayflower left England, carrying 102 people to a New World.

They landed 66 days later, History.com reports. Those colonists struggled to survive, and in fact, only half made it through their first winter.

In the spring, the settlers met several Native Americans who spoke English, and those figures were critical in helping the settlers learn to farm, and in establishing treaties with the local Wampanoag tribe.

After the Pilgrims’ first successful harvest, they shared a meal with the Wampanoag, but USA Today notes that despite popular mythology, the tribe wasn’t invited. Instead, the Pilgrims fired celebratory guns in the air, and the tribe thought they were under attack. The tribe showed up expecting war, and instead found a celebration. So they brought five deer and joined in.

The meal was “quite tense, fraught with political implications,” USA Today reports.

The menu likely included fowl, deer, fish and shellfish, as well as onions, beans, lettuce, spinach, cabbage and corn. Possible fruits included blueberries, plums, grapes, gooseberries, raspberries and cranberries, History.com reports.

The harvest feast idea was not new to the Wampanoag. The Associated Press notes that harvest feasts had been a part of life for the tribe since long before 1621.

Through the years, the story of the first “Thanksgiving” has evolved and changed. Rough edges and hard truths were sanded away, and today, historians are working to correct that.

But at its crux, a shared meal 399 years ago became the basis for our Thanksgiving holiday today.

In 2020, we still have rough edges and hard truths. But we have much to be thankful for as well – and part of that is the fact that as a nation, we are a work in progress, striving for growth and betterment.

On Thanksgiving, we pause to appreciate the positives in our world, be it family, health, or the roof over our heads –hopefully, all of the above.

Unsigned editorials represent the viewpoint of this newspaper rather than an individual. Columns and letters to the editor represent the viewpoints of the persons writing them and do not necessarily represent the views of the Yuma Sun.