Every November, the story of saints and sinners making the historic voyage on the Mayflower, landing at Plymouth Rock, and having a thanksgiving feast shared with indigenous Wampanoag people is celebrated throughout the U.S. Who doesn’t like a good story of courage in the face of impossible odds! But what is real and what is myth?
The Ship
Sailing season was over. Even so, 102 passengers, Captain Christopher Jones, and about 30 crew men crowded into the rickety old 180-ton cargo ship, the Mayflower, on September 6, 1620, headed for the new world to form what would become the first English permanent settlement. Roanoke was the first attempt, but turned out to be a complete catastrophe with no known survivors. Jamestown was not originally intended as a permanent settlement; it was a commercial enterprise and a social catastrophe, but that’s another story.
About half of the passengers aboard the Mayflower were religious Separatists, and the other half a collection of rough and tumble tradesmen looking for an opportunity to cash in on the possibility of new wealth in such things as beaver pelts. It was a horrendous crossing of delays, storms, starvation, disease, and death. Even so, 66 days later the ship and its survivors arrived, 200 miles north of their destination, with winter approaching and no chance of planting crops until spring. It was an unqualified disaster. Fewer than half survived.
The Rock
Location, location, location—that’s what real estate agents say. The traditional spot where the battered Plymouth Plantation survivors supposedly landed was memorialized by a rock engraved 95 years later in 1715, and is now enshrined in a granite canopy for tourists. However, let it be known that no mention of such a rock can be found in any of the primary documents. But it does make for a great myth.
The Feast
Over the centuries, that first feast has become layered with visions of a grand festival laden with harvest goodies—turkey, sweet potato, green bean casserole, cornbread, and pumpkin pie. Not so. There really was a feast, a harvest feast with the giving of thanks being the central idea, more than likely in September. It lasted three days after the first harvest according to Edward Winslow, one of the participants.
Attendees included the entire company of Mayflower survivors which were 22 men, 4 married women, and 25 children, joined by 90 Wampanoag people and their chief, Massasoit, who brought fresh deer meat to the celebration. These Native Americans were the ones who helped the beleaguered bunch to make it through the winter and seed their first plantings in spring. Without their help, Plymouth Plantation would have ended up like the earlier Roanoke Colony—a vanished mystery. Good thing they got along.
As to the menu, to be sure it was not what has become traditional Thanksgiving food. It would have included locally grown vegetables, seafood, and meats of wild animals. Winslow wrote of chestnuts, cranberries, garlic, and artichokes. Wild turkey could have been on the menu, but it was not mentioned.
Fast Forward
Thanksgiving was celebrated on various dates for about 250 years, but then finally became official as a national holiday on the fourth Thursday of November by President Lincoln’s proclamation of 1863. It was moved to the third Thursday in November by Franklin Roosevelt. In 1941, it was moved back to the fourth Thursday of November by Congress.
In 2020, it will be 400 years since that momentous voyage took place. Get ready for Massachusetts businesses to make it a marketing bonanza. I envision tourists all over Plymouth looking silly wearing tall black hats and buckled shoes, which, by the way, the first pilgrims did not wear. Nevertheless, we can take away some important ideas and lessons when celebrating such a defining moment in American history. I can think of three—giving thanks, community, and sharing.
Giving Thanks—the Ship
Like the ship that takes people from one place to another, giving of thanks takes us from the hustle of living to the place where we value the many graces we have been given. The main idea of the day by virtue of its name is for individuals to spend a moment to be grateful for something good. It could include life, love, friendship, family, provision, opportunity, health. Each of us has something that tops the list, but the ship of gratitude offers a course correction in priorities and attitudes useful for more than once a year. It keeps us humble and nurtures love for one another. Keep sailing.
Community—the Rock
Rocks—boulders—are solid, stationary, fixed, dependable. Like the rock, community gives people a sense of stability and belonging. It’s a place where exchange of resources and commitment toward the betterment of everyone is played out. The first Thanksgiving was one that involved the entire community of the plantation as well as the wider community of neighbors. Getting along meant that neighbors were safer and that difference was a good thing. It’s a lesson this century is desperate to learn.
Sharing—the Feast
Survival of those early settlers depended wholly on the Wampanoag people sharing their food and knowledge of how to plant that territory. The harvest feast was also one where sharing of food and table was central. Everyone has something to bring to the table—an important life lesson.
In a nation of such abundance, we are privileged to share. When storage becomes stuffed to overflowing and closet organization gizmos become a booming business, we must admit we simply have too much stuff. How many bags of pasta in the cupboard do we really need? Purging of excess is not only a healthy thing, it can mean much to someone in need.
On the other side of clutter is money spent on more needless stuff that can be diverted to help legitimate charities of all kinds, and not only once a year. The principle of seed-time and harvest is universal and so, a giving and sharing individual, as well as a nation, is one that will always prosper. It’s just the way the universe works.
Let this Thanksgiving be the one where the ship, the rock, and the feast translates into a lifestyle of being thankful, community minded, and generous. From our home to yours, we wish you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving!
Copyright 2019 by Eva S. Benevento. All rights reserved.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash