Article November 17, 1956 Issue

Signs of the Times

with contributions from Bennie Bengston, Eizo Sakamoto

From an article by Bennie Bengston in The Link, Nashville, Tennessee

Many ... peoples and nations have from time to time down through the centuries celebrated days of thanksgiving, usually after the gathering of the harvest in the fall. It was done in early Biblical times, for we read, in Leviticus 23:39, that Moses commanded the children of Israel, "When ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord." In the book of Deuteronomy this thanksgiving celebration became the Feast of Tabernacles and lasted seven days.

The first American Thanksgiving came in October, 1621. It celebrated the first harvest gathered by the pilgrims in Massachusetts, and was ordered by William Bradford, the governor of the colony.... In spite of the hardships they had seen, they felt they had cause for thanksgiving. The friendly Indian chief, Massasoit, and some of his friends were invited to the feast.

Send a comment to the editors

This is the end of the issue. Ready to explore further?

Online features Audio