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Community Corner

History of Thanksgiving

            "Coming to the New World"

       Many Americans think of Thanksgiving as a time when you sit around the dinner table, stuff yourself full, and then join the madness on Black Friday to get all those great deals.  Some people have begun to skip that gracious dinner all together and begin their shopping on Thanksgiving night.  Is that what Thanksgiving is really about?  In today’s society we as a whole have begun to lose sight of what Thanksgiving truly is.

      Thanksgiving is held on the fourth Thursday in November and is meant to be celebrated with an overload of food, family and friends to honor the early settlers.  A long, long time ago, a group of English Protestants (also known as Pilgrims) wanted to break away and venture off to the “New World”.  So, they set out on a sixty-six day voyage across the Atlantic Ocean with 101 men, women, and children.  The goal was to land and settle where current day New York City is, but due to vicious winds, they had to cut their trip short and settle at, what we now know as Cape Cod.  This is where the Pilgrims and the Native Americans from the Wampanoag tribe (or the Indians as we call them) crossed past with each other.

      When winter season arrived, the Pilgrims gathered anything and everything they could get their hands on, including the Indian’s supplies.  This is where the well-known, beloved Squanto comes into play.  Squanto wanted to avoid any struggle and tension with the Pilgrims, so he took it upon himself to teach the Pilgrims how to grow corn and fertilize their fields using fish.

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      Finally, after years of unnecessary drama, there was a formal agreement made between the Pilgrims and Indians to protect one other.  Everything was all rainbows and butterflies, until one day the Indians heard gunshot and rushed to the Pilgrims colonies, believing that there was a war to be started.  Much to their surprise, the Pilgrims were only out hunting in order to provide a feast.  For three whole days, the Pilgrims and Indians all ate, played games, and gave thanks together and formed what we now know as Thanksgiving.

      So from everyone here at Sharn Enterprises, we remind you to remember the real meaning behind Thanksgiving and have a safe and joyful holiday.  Happy Thanksgiving!!

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