Days of thanksgiving are celebrated in as many different ways as there are people and different cultures. Throughout history, there have been many different observances of a bountiful harvest and celebrations of thanks. The Greeks honored Demeter, the Goddess of Grain, at the Festival of Thesmosphoria each autumn. The Romans honored Ceres, the Goddess of Corn, at the Festival of Cerelia. The Hebrews celebrate the harvest festival of Sukkoth, the Chinese the harvest festival of Chung Ch'ui, and the Egyptians the harvest festival of Min. Each ceremony expressed or expresses the devotion of the people to the deities who gave them ample sustenance throughout the year.

In America, legend and some facts indicate that Thanksgiving was first celebrated as a "Feast of Thanks" in the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a commemoration of a bountiful harvest in this New land. Of the 102 Pilgrim settlers who first landed on our shores, only 56 survived the first winter, largely due to the efforts of Native Indians who aided them under a treaty arranged with the great chief Massasoit. It was, therefore, fitting that any festival of thanks should include these benefactors.

Since the Pilgrims called all fowl turkey, there is no evidence that turkey was a staple of that menu. More likely, wild geese and other waterfowl were the main entrees of the day, accompanied by venison, lobster, eels, corn, and boiled pumpkin as prepared by four English women and two teenage girls.

According to Pilgrim settler Edward Winslow in a letter to a friend in England dated December 11, 1621, the colonial Governor sent men out to bring in fowl for the celebration. They returned with ample birds to sate the appetites of the 56 survivors plus Chief Massasoit and 90 of his men, who incidentally brought five deer to the table, as well as grapes and plums. In the words of Winslow, "Although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you [his friends in England] as partakers of our plenty."

There have been many Thanksgiving Days in America. In Texas, there is a marker that reads "Feast of First Thanksgiving, 1541" which probably refers to Coronado's travels in the Southwest. The Pilgrims also celebrated a Thanksgiving in 1644 and from 1649 on. In New Hampshire, a "fast day" was celebrated on the fourth Monday in April, until abolished in 1991 (not a typo, really 1991). George Washington proclaimed the first Thanksgiving to be November 26, 1789. William Seward (of "Seward's Folly," Alaska purchase fame) drafted the thanksgiving proclamation that Abraham Lincoln signed in 1863. Finally, Franklin D. Roosevelt settled the issue on November 26, 1941, by signing the bill that officially designated the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.

So, although the day of the feast is official, the parameters for the celebration are strictly up to you. You may choose to sit around on your fat sofa, stuff yourself all day (vowing to diet come Friday, right?), and fall asleep watching traditional football games. You might even observe the true intention of the holiday and give thanks to the Supreme Architect of the Universe for the bountiful blessings of freedom and plenty which we, as Americans, enjoy every day of the year, not just on the fourth Thursday in November.

The message of Thanksgiving is universal, and we should pray that all peoples could enjoy this holiday for what it is all about—home, family, love, and thanks. So mote it be!

Burton Eugene Collins is an active member of the Scottish Rite Bodies of Santa Ana, California, having joined in 1998 and currently serving as Assistant Director of Work. An actor by profession, he currently performs at the theater at Knott's Berry Farm. A member of Norwalk Lodge No. 315, Norwalk, California, he was installed as Master in December 2000.