Thanksgiving and Giving Thanks

Give thanks for all things good. Give thanks and watch them grow.

Pass the Peas

It is not often that I chance to see a pea. There could be one hiding somewhere, one that, perhaps, escaped my plate. It would be more likely, however, that where there is one pea there will be many. This was good news for the settlers of New England in the seventeenth century.

The field pea grows abundantly, and it was with this humble crop that those early settlers enjoyed a great success. The peas were life giving and, perhaps, lifesaving. They were baked and they were boiled. And there was usually plenty left over from the harvest, enough so that they could be stored dry to be used during the winter months often in the form of "pease porridge" served steaming hot, a perfect cold weather dish. And it was during these times that the simple pea was much appreciated.

Over the years, pease porridge was eventually replaced by the more well-known New England baked beans, which were often served with a hard crusted rough brown bread which was broken into pieces of suitable size for scooping. It was not very likely that any of those escaped anyone's plate. But it is very probable that it was the wonderful peas that made their way to the early settlers' thanksgiving festival tables. So please pass the peas.


Thanksgiving

In the autumn of 1621, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony had a festival after a successful harvest, one that may not have been if not for the help from some local natives who also joined in the feast. Among those present was Massasoit, the leader, or "sachem" of the Wampanoag tribe. He had been a great help to the Pilgrims during that first difficult year following their arrival on the ship called the Mayflower, and he is well remembered in the Plymouth area. Massasoit had five children, three sons and two daughters.

In 1630, a larger group of English settlers arriving on the American continent north of Plymouth. They were the Puritans, and it was they who established the Massachusetts Bay Colony centered around a city they called Boston. The Puritans observed days of thanksgiving that were appointed for special occasions, like the one in February 1631 when provision shops arrived just in time to prevent starvation. Annual thanksgiving festivals would not begin until later in the century, and the Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth colonies remained separate until very late in the century. There were thanksgiving celebrations in other English and Spanish colonies during those early years, but it is from the New England traditions. that we generally trace our own.


Giving Thanks

There is a story of long ago in which a large number of people had gathered to listen to a man and his message of compassion and forgiveness. He had been known to perform works of wonder like healing the sick and curing the lame. On this day they gathered to hear him speak. The man and his closest followers wished to provide those in the crowd with something to eat, but the provisions they had with them were meager. Only a few loaves of bread and some pieces of fish were at hand. So, this man, this Jesus of Nazareth, took the bread and broke it into pieces and as he did so, he gave thanks and, along with the fish, had his disciples begin to distribute those pieces. And into the crowd they went. Everyone ate and all were satisfied. And there were leftovers, baskets full, many more pieces than what had gone into the crowd. Another work of wonder? Yes. But it was more. It was a teaching, the lesson being the power of giving, the lesson being the power of giving thanks.


Pass the Peace

On June 29, 1676, the people of the Massachusetts Bay Colony observed a solemn day of thanksgiving. It was the first such observance in over a year. No days of thanksgiving were appointed during that time because of a native uprising. The causes leading up to this conflict are of another story, but it was a cruel one, waged from both sides. On August 17 of that same year, the people of Plymouth Colony had their own day of thanksgiving after learning that Philip, who also called himself King Philip, had been captured. Philip was the adopted name of Metacom, better known as Metacomet, the recognized leader of the revolt, who also happened to be the second son of the great Massasoit. These thanksgiving festivals were generally victory celebrations, but they were also solemn meals of gratitude and hope, honoring the returning peace.

On November 9,1676, the Massachusetts Bay Colony observed another day of thanksgiving after the harvest, and these were the feasts that would become annual events. This tradition has made its way to us. We gather and break bread. We gather and give thanks. And whether or not we have peas, we will very likely have pies. Thanksgiving Day is also a time to keep in our thoughts those who have little and those who are hurting, assisting where we can, and giving what we can. Thanksgiving Day is also a time for looking forward to that special season of giving, the one during which we may hear wishes for peace on Earth and goodwill to all. Peace begins with us and those around us, then works its way outward. And when we are truly thankful, truly grateful, even a small bit of peace can expand and grow.

So, grab that bowl of Peace Porridge, the one filled with compassion and forgiveness, the one filled with healing. Pass it around so everyone can have a heaping helping. And when it makes its way back, you just may find that there is more, very much more than that with which you began.



Historical Sources:

Fischer, David Hackett, ALBION'S SEED: Four British Folkways in America, Oxford University Press 1989

Lepore, Jill, THE NAME OF WAR: King Philip's War and the Origins of American Identity, Viking Books 1999

Taylor, Alan, AMERICAN COLONIES: The Settling of North America, Viking Penguin 2001