Mary Had a Little Turkey
When you think about Thanksgiving, what’s the first thing that comes to mind: food, football, parades? How about lambs?
What do lambs have to do with Thanksgiving? The connection between the two is the poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” which was written by Sarah Josepha Hale. She’s the lady who persuaded Abraham Lincoln to proclaim Thanksgiving a holiday.
Today, most people are familiar with Thanksgiving. Kids get off school and many grownups get off work to spend the day as they wish, whether feasting on turkey or a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese.
However, back in the 1800s, Thanksgiving was not widely celebrated. Some people living in farming communities observed harvest festivals, while other folks had small family gatherings at various times of the year. Several northern states, including New Hampshire where Hale grew up, observed Thanksgiving every year but celebrated it on different days.
Hale envisioned a holiday set on a specific date that would promote a sense of community and shared experience. She hoped it would help ease the tensions caused by the ongoing Civil War. So began Hale’s campaign to make Thanksgiving an annual national celebration.
Hale used her talent as a writer to get others excited about Thanksgiving. She drew upon her childhood memories of celebrating Thanksgiving in her 1827 book Northwood; A Tale of New England. In this book, Hale stated there should be one day a year set aside to show our joyful gratitude for all our blessings.
She also wrote magazine articles, stories, and poetry about folks enjoying big meals. She included recipes for roasted turkey, pumpkin pie, and other goodies that many now enjoy eating on Thanksgiving.
Hale penned letters to senators, governors, presidents, and anyone else she could think of. It took thirty-six years and a lot of writing, but in 1863, President Lincoln finally passed the proclamation declaring the last Thursday in November as a “Day of Thanksgiving and Praise.”
Hale’s holiday dream came true, but there was one glitch. Some years November has five Thursdays, instead of four. That caused problems when some people wanted to celebrate on the fourth Thursday, while others preferred to wait the extra week. The disagreements increased during the 1920s, when large cities, such as Philadelphia and New York City, held their first big Thanksgiving Day parades, and in 1934, when the National Football League played its first Thanksgiving game.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt put an end to the date debate when he signed a bill in 1941 setting the date for Thanksgiving. Anyone wishing to observe the holiday could celebrate it on the fourth Thursday of November.
That’s how Thanksgiving became the family feasting tradition the United States has today. It’s all due to Sarah Josepha Hale not giving up on her dream. For all her hard work, Hale is often called the mother of Thanksgiving in America.
Are days set aside to express gratitude for a plentiful fall harvest around the world?
Yes. In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated by relaxing and sharing a meal with family on the second Monday in October.
In England, the Harvest Festival takes place in late September or early October with special services at local churches to give thanks for a successful crop yield.
The Chinese celebration of giving thanks is called the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is held during the eighth month of the lunar calendar. Families spend the evening gazing at the moon and honoring the moon goddess. They eat mooncakes, baked treats with sweet or rich filling.
In Germany, Erntedankfest is a harvest festival often celebrated on the first Sunday of October to give thanks for a good year and good fortune. Harvest crowns made of grain, flowers, and fruit are paraded to churches or presented to the Erntekönigin, the honorary harvest queen.
People in Japan celebrate hard work and being involved with the community during the Kinrō Kansha no Hi holiday on November 23. Students make cards and gifts to thank hospital staff, firefighters, and other workers who help their community.
In Liberia, the west African country settled by formerly enslaved people from the United States, baskets of fruits like bananas, papayas, mangoes, and pineapples are brought to church on the first Thursday of November. After the Thanksgiving service, the fruit is auctioned off.
A person can go to any part of the world and find a celebration to give thanks. Holidays go by different names and may be celebrated in different ways, but they’re always a special time to get together with family and friends.
How do you express gratitude?