Picture of the day - November 24, 2005

The Tradition Of Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving holiday is a very special one here in the United States - a unique and time-honored tradition of pausing to give thanks for everything that God has given us. Food, shelter, love and life along with the opportunity to live in the United States of America. Unlike Christmas, Easter and most other Christian holy days, Thanksgiving isn't a celebration of a specific event depicted in the Bible. Instead, it is a traditional holiday that was first celebrated by the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock in 1621. The winter of 1620, their first in the new world was a very harsh one, and almost half of them had perished by the time the next fall rolled around. But the 1621 growing season was a good one and they were fortunate enough to harvest a bumper crop. The 56 remaining Pilgrims decided to set aside an entire day to thank the Lord for their bountiful harvest, and they invited 91 Indians who had helped them survive the winter to join them. They did, making that very first Thanksgiving a multi-cultural one. We still celebrate Thanksgiving today, but for many this special holiday is nothing more than an excuse to skip work or school for a day or two. But we Americans still have much to be thankful for...and #1 on the list is the grace of a loving God who has blessed us with the opportunity to live in the greatest country the world has ever known.   Picture Of The Day Homepage | Submit a photo Interesting Articles