Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Harvest Festival

Or something similar.

Actually Harvest Festival here is around the autumnal equinox in September and it's very informal. But it's probably the thing that comes closest to (and probably played a part in) the celebration that you're about to have on the other side of the pond. Thanksgiving.

I actually "googled" thanksgiving to see if I could educate myself a bit and find something to say about it for you this evening. Because although we learnt about it in school it was covered in about two minutes as part of a lesson on the American colonies and consisted of "the pligrims were starving, the Indians fed them and they celebrate each year by giving thanks." And I discovered it didn't quite go like that. I found some links regarding the national day of mourning by Native Americans that I thought about posting for you but I decided they weren't appropriate. The writers were for the most part very angry. And while their anger was justified and was appropriate, my posting them was not.

So I found some less angry but still interesting links. Like this one. Not quite as angry but still eye-opening. And this totally not angry but still very interesting history lesson. I learnt a lot from my searches. Thanksgiving is both much more complex that I'd thought - and yet much simpler.

I also found a site that mentioned that the day after Thanksgiving isn't just a religious frenzy in celebration of the gods of greed and consumerism (so-called Black Friday) but is also Native American Heritage Day. That's something to think about while you walk off your turkey dinner. *g*

Whatever you do or don't do, eat or don't eat (someday I'm going to have to be in the USA for Thanksgiving just so I can try Tofurkey!!), watch or don't watch - have a safe and happy day over there. See you next week.

Happy Thanksgiving. Goodnight and may your God/s go with you.

Ze

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