We all know it's never a good idea to mix religion or politics at the family Thanksgiving celebration  . So if any of these taboos come up during your feast, keep this copy of Sparks nearby to at least change the subject, or get them arguing about something else. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!! Many thanks to the History Channel for the below. Thanksgiving Controversies: For some scholars, the jury is still out on whether the feast at Plymouth really constituted the first Thanksgiving in the United States. Indeed, historians have recorded other ceremonies of thanks among European settlers in North America that predate the Pilgrims’ celebration. In 1565, for instance, the Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilé invited members of the local Timucua tribe to a dinner in Florida, after holding a mass to thank God for his crew’s safe arrival. On December 4, 1619, when 38 British settlers reached a site known as Berkeley Hundred on the banks of Virginia’s James River, they read a proclamation designating the date as “a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God.” Some Native Americans and many others take issue with how the Thanksgiving story is presented to the American public, and especially to schoolchildren. In their view, the traditional narrative paints a deceptively sunny portrait of relations between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people, masking the long and bloody history of conflict between Native Americans and European settlers that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands. Since 1970, protesters have gathered on the day designated as Thanksgiving at the top of Cole’s Hill, which overlooks Plymouth Rock, to commemorate a “National Day of Mourning” Similar events are held in other parts of the country. Thanksgiving's Ancient Origins Although the American concept of Thanksgiving developed in the colonies of New England, its roots can be traced both to Native Americans, as well as back to the other side of the Atlantic. Both the Separatists who came over on the Mayflower and the Puritans who arrived soon after brought with them a tradition of providential holidays—days of fasting during difficult or pivotal moments and days of feasting and celebration to thank God in times of plenty. As an annual celebration of the harvest and its bounty, moreover, Thanksgiving falls under a category of festivals that spans cultures, continents and millennia. In ancient times, the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans feasted and paid tribute to their gods after the fall harvest. Thanksgiving also bears a resemblance to the ancient Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot. Finally, historians have noted that Native Americans had a rich tradition of commemorating the fall harvest with feasting and merrymaking long before Europeans set foot on America's shores. |
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none of our Rotarians made it to the winners podium, Pittsfield did just fine all the same. Beer samples were passed around, many laughs were had and plenty of food and beverages were consumed. Our man Jeff Whitehouse did lodge a complaint concerning the lack of Maker's Mark at the breu-hous. The poor chap had to suffer through some inferior brands of his favorite brown liquor. He would've been in the nearby photo had he not been making the case for Maker's with the bar manager. Trivia is held just about every Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM at Shire, you are most welcome to join your host Jim Bronson should you need some more Rotarian time than we get to spend together in the average week. President Alex let us know that he had a meeting and couldn't make most of the trivia match that ended around 9:15, but would try and come up and treat us to a round. Brooks Sherman and Jim kept the faith as it were, hoping the good President would arrive at some point in the evening. We stayed there well after midnight sampling craft brews and staring out the window, occasionally getting excited when we'd see headlights, but alas the President never made it through the Dalton checkpoint. At press time, we don't know what became of our fearless leader. Legend has it the Dalton authorities have a way of making one talk. Hopefully our Club secrets are safe!