Thanks Giving Day- Thanks to a lady

It was Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually led to what we recognize as Thanksgiving. Hale wrote many editorials championing her cause in her Boston Ladies' Magazine, and later, in Godey's Lady's Book. She was fired with the determination of having the whole nation join together in setting apart a national day for giving thanks "unto Him from who all blessings flow."

In 1830, New York proclaimed an official state "Thanksgiving Day." Other states soon followed its example. The Territory of Minnesota celebrated its first Thanksgiving Day on December 26, 1850. The whole territory, including all of what is now the State of Minnesota plus the Dakotas as far west as the Missouri River, contained approximately 6,000 settlers but the book, The Frontier Holiday, describes a spirited celebration. Territory Governor, Alexander Ramsey, proclaimed the day of thanks:

"Young in years as a community, we have come into the wilderness, in the midst of savage men and uncultivated nature to found a new empire in aid of our pursuit of happiness, and to extend the area of enlightened republican Liberty . . . . Let us in the public temple of religion, by the fireside and family altar, on the prairie and in the forest, join in the expression of our gratitude, of our devotion to the God who brought our fathers safely through the perils of an early revolution, and who thus continues his favors to the remotest colonies of his sons."

By 1852, Hale's campaign succeeded in uniting 29 states in marking the last Thursday of November as "Thanksgiving Day."
Finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Hale's passion became a reality. On September 28, 1863, Sarah Josepha Hale wrote a letter to President Lincoln and urged him to have the "day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival." On October 3, 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day "of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father."

Hello Sir,
Thanks for posting this information.
I really didn't know the history of Thanks Giving.
All these days I was told that Native Indians were giving thanks .....

~Punitha

Thanks for posting this information Sir., which i had known only a little about it.
As Punitha had pointed out, this notion of thanksgiving to the natives was the idea we are all having during the Thanksgiving.

I was looking for this information sir.
From the name I thought it must be soemthing of this sort, as in thanking god for all that he showers and this morning at breakfast was discussing with husband if Tamilians / Indians have soemthing of this sort too. He said farmers celebrate something to thank god. Something like pongal ?
What is the equivalent of this ?

Originally Posted by MeenLoch

I was looking for this information sir.
From the name I thought it must be soemthing of this sort, as in thanking god for all that he showers and this morning at breakfast was discussing with husband if Tamilians / Indians have soemthing of this sort too. He said farmers celebrate something to thank god. Something like pongal ?
What is the equivalent of this ?

You are right. Pongal is thanks giving to Sun God, Cattles helped in agriculture and in general celebrating a good harvest.

In Punjab, they celebrate ' baishaki ' in the month of April as thanks giving. While I was in London, in Southall the sikhs used to celebrate 'baishaki' offering free food ( packed in nice plastic boxes with spoons), free drinks (Coca-cola cans etc.). When I went on that day to Southall I could not hold all the things as people vied with each other to give these. I was thinking ' had I known I would have brought a bag '. Lo, a man sitting next on the road side was distributing bags also. Funnily, they were giving free ice-creams and there was a long queue.

Regards,

TDU

Originally Posted by puni88

Hello Sir,
Thanks for posting this information.
I really didn't know the history of Thanks Giving.
All these days I was told that Native Indians were giving thanks .....

~Punitha

Dear Punitha,

I was also not knowing about thanks giving and my American colleagues also do not know the reasons exactly. Only thing they know is that it is holiday and they have a family get-together and have dinner with turkey. Today the news is that President Bush has pardoned the turkey to be used for thanks giving.

Regards,

TDU

Originally Posted by Sriniketan

Thanks for posting this information Sir., which i had known only a little about it.
As Punitha had pointed out, this notion of thanksgiving to the natives was the idea we are all having during the Thanksgiving.

Dear Sriniketan,

You are right. The notion of thanks giving was among the natives and in fact they had six thans giving day in a year mainly to celebrate the harvesting. Now, in U.K and U.S.A it is a big occassion for family get together.

Regards,

TDU

Originally Posted by Tamildownunder

You are right. Pongal is thanks giving to Sun God, Cattles helped in agriculture and in general celebrating a good harvest.

In Punjab, they celebrate ' baishaki ' in the month of April as thanks giving. While I was in London, in Southall the sikhs used to celebrate 'baishaki' offering free food ( packed in nice plastic boxes with spoons), free drinks (Coca-cola cans etc.). When I went on that day to Southall I could not hold all the things as people vied with each other to give these. I was thinking ' had I known I would have brought a bag '. Lo, a man sitting next on the road side was distributing bags also. Funnily, they were giving free ice-creams and there was a long queue.

Regards,

TDU

Yes. I have seen them doing that in Delhi too. Free drinks and food for baisakhi.

As for thanksgiving here, the tv shows are so very active with Thanksgiving recipes from Rachael Ray and and others on food network.
I like the prayer part of thanksgiving. Although we indians thank lord everyday for what he has given us, I wish we had something of this sort too. A separate occasion for thanking god, emphasizes the need to do so.
For the next generation kids it ll make a difference.
Also as IL said it's a family get together. I wonder how much fun it would be for everyone. People in offices have taken off from Monday. 10 days holidays straight !!!!!!

As kids we ( me and my cousins, there families) used to meet for diwali, but gone are those good old days. The family is scattered all over the world now.

Dear TDU sir,

Thanks for posting, got to know what THANKSGIVING is all about

hi Tamizha,

Thank you for the good information .Appreciate it. Ignorance is a real curse..!

Regards,
Sharada