by Elaine Marie Cooper
When we sit down at our Thanksgiving meal this month, we’ll
be recreating a celebration that is as old as our country: sharing food with
loved ones while thanking the God Who has provided the abundance.
While we understand that the First Thanksgiving was
celebrated here by the Mayflower survivors along with the Indians that had
helped them, the first official proclamation that was decreed to celebrate such
a holiday was in 1777. It was a recommendation to the thirteen states by the
Continental Congress to set aside December 18th that year as a
“solemn thanksgiving” to celebrate the first major victory for the Continental
troops in the American Revolution: the Battle of Saratoga.
The Battle of Saratoga has significant interest for my own
family since one of my ancestors was a soldier there. But he was not on the
American side—he was a British Redcoat. After surrendering to the Americans, he
escaped the line of prisoners and somehow made his way to Massachusetts and
into the life and heart of my fourth great-grandmother. *SIGH* L’amour!
This family story was the inspiration for my Deer Run Saga
that begins in 1777 with The Road to Deer Run. There is an
elaborate Thanksgiving meal scene in this novel as well as in the sequel, The
Promise of Deer Run.
Some may wonder why such detail was afforded this holiday in
my novels set in Massachusetts, while Christmas is barely mentioned. The reason
is simple: Thanksgiving was the major holiday in the northern colonies, with
Christmas considered nothing more special than a workday. According to Jack
Larkin in his book, The Reshaping of Everyday Life,
“The Puritan founders of New England and the Quaker settlers of Pennsylvania
had deliberately abolished (holidays) as unscriptural.”
But Thanksgiving was begun as a way to give thanks to God
for His provision. It usually began with attending church services in the
morning, followed by an elaborate feast in the afternoon. The food for this
meal was prepared for weeks in advance.
Since the individual state governors chose their own date to
celebrate the holiday, it was theoretically possible for some family members—if
they lived in close proximity—to celebrate multiple Thanksgiving meals with
family and friends across state borders. The dates chosen could be anywhere
from October to December, according to Dennis Picard, Director of the
Storrowton Village Museum in West Springfield, Massachusetts.
Chicken was most commonly served, said Picard, as it was
readily available in the barnyard. And the oldest woman in the home had the
honor of slicing the fowl for dinner.
Pies were made well in advance of the holiday and stored and
became frozen in dresser drawers in unheated rooms.
“I like the idea of pulling out a dresser drawer for, say, a
clean pair of socks, and finding mince pies,” said Picard, tongue in cheek.
Indeed!
Have a BLESSED Thanksgiving!
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