Art Lovers discussion

Thanksgiving in North America had originated from a mix of European and Native traditions. Typically in Europe, festivals were held before and after the harvest cycles to give thanks for a good harvest, and to rejoice together after much hard work with the rest of the community. At the time, Native Americans had also celebrated the end of a harvest season. When Europeans first arrived to the Americas, they brought with them their own harvest festival traditions from Europe, celebrating their safe voyage, peace and good harvest.

/>
The Order of Good Cheer, 1606 by Charles William Jefferys, (1925)


The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth By Jennie A. Brownscombe (1914)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgi...

Canada

Thanksgiving Day (Canadian French: Jour de l'Action de grâce), occurring on the second Monday in October, is an annual Canadian holiday to give thanks at the close of the harvest season. Although the original act of Parliament references God and the holiday is celebrated in churches, the holiday is mostly celebrated in a secular manner.

Thanksgiving is a statutory holiday in all provinces in Canada, except for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. While businesses may remain open in these provinces, the holiday is nonetheless, recognized and celebrated regardless of its status.

Grenada

n the West Indian island of Grenada, there is a national holiday known as Thanksgiving Day which is celebrated on October 25. Even though it bears the same name, and is celebrated at roughly the same time as the American and Canadian versions of Thanksgiving, this holiday is unrelated to either of those celebrations. Instead the holiday marks the anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of the island in 1983, in response to the deposition and execution of Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop.

Japan

Labor Thanksgiving Day (勤労感謝の日, Kinrō kansha no hi)
is a national holiday in Japan. It takes place annually on November 23. The law establishing the holiday cites it as an occasion for commemorating labor and production and giving one another thanks.

It is not unusual for early grade elementary students to create drawings for the holiday and give them as gifts to local kōbans, or police stations.

Liberia

In the West African country of Liberia, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the first Thursday of November.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has by Proclamation declared Thursday, November 3rd, 2011 as National Thanksgiving Day to be observed throughout the Republic as a National Holiday.

The Foreign Ministry said the Liberian leader noted that it is befitting that a day should be set aside for the nation and its people to go into the House of the Lord and give adoration for His dispensation of grace, and for preserving our lives.

President Johnson Sirleaf, in the Proclamation, called on all Liberians and Foreign Residents, Bishops, Imams, Clergy and all Religious organizations to gather in their respective places of Worship, wherever they may be in Liberia, to pray for a peaceful and violence free elections as well as to give thanks and praises to the Almighty God, that his manifold blessings and mercies may continuously rest upon us as a people, the nation, our families, and for each one of us in the country.

The Proclamation noted that the continuous protection and blessings of the Almighty God, in times of peace, disaster and other natural phenomena have sustained the nation politically, socially and economically over the years.
As a nation, Liberians have more reasons, at this critical period in the country's history to glorify the Great Arbiter of Human Events, in a special way for His Grace, Ministry in a release quoted the presidential proclamation.

The Proclamation is in consonance with an Act of the National Legislature in 1883, which set aside the First Thursday in the Month of November of each year to be known as National Thanksgiving Day in order to give thanks and praises to the Almighty God for his mercies showered upon the Nation.

http://all-about-liberia.blogspot.com...

The Netherlands

Many of the Pilgrims who migrated to the Plymouth Plantation had resided in the city of Leiden from 1609–1620, many of whom had recorded their birth, marriages and deaths at the Pieterskerk. To commemorate this, a non-denominational Thanksgiving Day service is held each year on the morning of the American Thanksgiving Day in the Pieterskerk, a Gothic church in Leiden, to commemorate the hospitality the Pilgrims received in Leiden on their way to the New World

Norfolk Island

In the Australian external territory of Norfolk Island, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the last Wednesday of November, similar to the pre-World War II American observance on the last Thursday of the month. This means the Norfolk Island observance is the day before or six days after the United States' observance. The holiday was brought to the island by visiting American whaling ships

Thank you for this informative post, Heather!

Thanksgiving Art...Artistic Tributes to America and our Military


'The First Thanksgiving,' artist Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863–1930)


Artist Robert Walter Weir, 'The Embarkation of the Pilgrims from Delfthaven in Holland' (1844)

This was a lovely post and we are in the process of making a Corn Pudding that was researched back to the Pilgrims time. Luckily, I have an oven!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Especially you, Heather!

Jeannie

Thank you, Jeannie. I hope you have/had a wonderful day and enjoyed that yummmmyyyy corn pudding!

Wonderful posting, Heather! I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

The real Thanksgiving story --

When the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1620, they landed on the rocky shores of a territory that was inhabited by the Wampanoag Indians (Wampanoag means "People of the First Light"). The Wampanoags were part of the Algonkian-speaking peoples, a large group that was part of the Woodland Culture area. These Indians lived in villages along the coast of what is now Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They welcomed & respected the Pilgrims & helped them survive. Throughout the year the Wampanoag tribe held 6 thanksgiving feasts (maple syrup, planting --blessing of the seeds, strawberry, first fruits, corn, and harvest) marked by a dance to give thanks to the Creator. The Pilgrims chose this last festival as the first Thanksgiving but they lacked the amount of food necessary. The leaders sent home the men to get the majority of the food - many deer & wild turkeys, fish, beans, squash, corn soup, corn bread, and berries.

For 3 days they feasted. It was a special time of friendship between two very different groups of people. A peace and friendship agreement was made between Massasoit and Miles Standish giving the Pilgrims the clearing in the forest where the old Patuxet village once stood to build their new town of Plymouth.

Unfortunately this friendship did not last long. More English people came to America, Many of the newcomers forgot the help the Indians had given them. Mistrust started to grow and the friendship weakened. The Pilgrims started telling their Indian neighbors that their Indian religion and Indian customs were wrong. The Pilgrims displayed an intolerance toward the Indian religion similar to the intolerance displayed toward the less popular religions in Europe. The relationship deteriorated and within a few years the children of the people who ate together at the first Thanksgiving were killing one another in what came to be called King Phillip's War.

It is sad to think that this happened, but it is important to understand all of the story and not just the happy part. Today the town of Plymouth Rock has a Thanksgiving ceremony each year in remembrance of the first Thanksgiving. There are still Wampanoag people living in Massachusetts. In 1970, they asked one of them to speak at the ceremony to mark the 350th anniversary of the Pilgrim's arrival. Here is part of what was said:

"Today is a time of celebrating for you -- a time of looking back to the first days of white people in America. But it is not a time of celebrating for me. It is with a heavy heart that I look back upon what happened to my People. When the Pilgrims arrived, we, the Wampanoags, welcomed them with open arms, little knowing that it was the beginning of the end. That before 50 years were to pass, the Wampanoag would no longer be a tribe. That we and other Indians living near the settlers would be killed by their guns or dead from diseases that we caught from them. Let us always remember, the Indian is and was just as human as the white people."

I am part Wampanoag on my father's side. We celebrate Thanksgiving but many native Americans consider today to be "a national day of mourning." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National...

If anyone would like to read an engaging historical fiction book about the English and the Wampanoag, I would recommend Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks. It does not discuss Thanksgiving, but does weave it the treatment of the Native Americans by the English.

I remember it wasn't too long ago that Monica was reading several books regarding the Native American Indians. Maybe she is also familiar with that book or could add a comment to your post. That sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you, Connie!

Wow, Carol that's quite a post. Thank you very much.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77...
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee should be required reading for every American.

I read Caleb's Crossing, Brooks did a great job.

We have some cool art in this thread but it hasn't been visited in 10 years!

I don't have art, I have funnies! It's a bit after Thanksgiving and I know the whole world doesn't even celebrate this holiday. But I hope these can bring a chuckle.

I have to post something here to make this go up in the thread so that 2020 isn't at the top. It is the last comment I made so it's at the top of the thread but that is not my intention.

Ok I’m a few days late in this but hopefully we can still get a good chuckle.

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/1...

I hope this posted.
How 10 Famous Artists would Plate Thanksgiving Dinner

Just a sample of the plates this article posts:

Heather wrote: "Ok I’m a few days late in this but hopefully we can still get a good chuckle.

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/1...

I ho..."

I enjoyed that! Thanks for posting.

Heather wrote: "Just a sample of the plates this article posts:
"

Funny! Thanks for posting Heather!
Here in Belgium we don't celebrate Thanksgiving but we still get deluded by mails and advertising for Black Friday ;-)

You’re welcome!

Yes, Thanksgiving is becoming somewhat obsolete here in USA as Halloween skips to Christmas. Sad, really. But many people still get time off for Thanksgiving. That’s good for most.