Happy Thanksgiving

[Rabbie]

I would like to wish all our American friends a Happy Thanksgiving Day. I hope in these difficult times you all have something to give thanks for.

 

[SOS]

I'm thankful that the elections are over and we don't have to have that campaign drivel on T.V. for a short time. What garbage all of the campain (spelled that way on purpose) commercials are.

 

[Len Boorman]

They can give thanks for new leader... we still have a bunch of idiots

L

 

[SOS]

They can give thanks for new leader...

only time will tell - only time will tell (I don't trust any of 'em)

 

[SQL_Hell]

Happy Thanksgiving

I never quite understood Thanksgiving, how does it relate to Christmas?

Isn't it just an excuse to eat huge amounts of Turkey twice a year
instead of once?

 

[MrsGorilla]

Happy Thanksgiving

I never quite understood Thanksgiving, how does it relate to Christmas?

Isn't it just an excuse to eat huge amounts of Turkey twice a year
instead of once?

It doesn't relate to Christmas, other than the fact that everyone considers Thanksgiving to be the beginning of the Christmas season. And also the Christmas shopping season, which is why the Friday after Thanksgiving is known as "Black Friday" because merchants expect to make huge amounts of sales on that day as tons of people get out to shop. I avoid any kind of shopping-related activities on the day after Thanksgiving because tons of people get out to shop and I can't stand that.

Symbolically, Thanksgiving is a fall harvest holiday that is also meant to celebrate the first Thanksgiving that the pilgrims had with the Indians at Plymouth in 1621. But mostly, it's just an excuse for everyone to get together with family and friends and stuff our faces with turkey.

 

[Rich]

with the Indians at Plymouth in 1621.

We didn't have any Indians here then, must have been the French or Spanish

 

[statsman]

Most cultures have a harvest festival. In North America it's called Thanksgiving (although in Canada we celebrate it in October).

 

[MrsGorilla]

We didn't have any Indians here then, must have been the French or Spanish

I know, I wasn't being "PC" with my comment. I almost erased it and typed Native Americans instead, but then decided screw it.

 

[Rich]

I know, I wasn't being "PC" with my comment. I almost erased it and typed Native Americans instead, but then decided screw it.

You've just stuck two fingers up at the pc brigade
I'm impressed

 

[Fifty2One]

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. This was set by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 (approved by Congress in 1941), who changed it from Abraham Lincoln's designation as the last Thursday in November (which could occasionally end up being the fifth Thursday and hence too close to Christmas for businesses). But the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving began at some unknown date between September 21 and November 9, most likely in very early October. The date of Thanksgiving was probably set by Lincoln to somewhat correlate with the anchoring of the Mayflower at Cape Cod, which occurred on November 21, 1620 (by our modern Gregorian calendar--it was November 11 to the Pilgrims who used the Julian calendar).

It is definately NOT a celebration for the ancesters of the people who were here befor the europeans invaded

 

[MrsGorilla]

You've just stuck two fingers up at the pc brigade
I'm impressed

Whoo-hoo!

 

[statsman]

While the story of the Pilgrims and the Native People / First Nations (insert your preferred PC expression here) is quaint, it's not very likely it happened that way at all.

Could you imagine a group of uptight straightlaced Puritans having half naked heathens at their table?

As their hunger for land increased, the Puritans had no second thoughts about evicting and when necessary killing the original residents.

 

[pono1]

Happy Thanksgiving

I never quite understood Thanksgiving, how does it relate to Christmas?

Isn't it just an excuse to eat huge amounts of Turkey twice a year
instead of once?

Yes, but it comes at a cost: you may have to interact with the in-laws.

 

[Banana]

While the story of the Pilgrims and the Native People / First Nations (insert your preferred PC expression here) is quaint, it's not very likely it happened that way at all.

Could you imagine a group of uptight straightlaced Puritans having half naked heathens at their table?

As their hunger for land increased, the Puritans had no second thoughts about evicting and when necessary killing the original residents.

FWIW, Mises Institute had an article about this. The article cites a journal of a governor from that time which is linked online from an university.

The article, while interesting, doesn't have enough citations for me to say that it's the real version, but I would conclude that it's much more reasonable than the popular story.

Anyway, happy thanksgiving!