First Thanksgivings

Many regard the "first Thanksgiving" as the Pilgrims celebrating their harvest with the Wampanoag after a first harsh winter of 1621 in Patuxet/New Plymouth, and that of the Plymouth colony in Massachusetts Bay in 1630. But, actually, Thanksgiving --gatherings to express gratitude following long travels and success in settling-- pre-dated the Pilgrim's gathering by many years.

Just ask a Floridian about the first Thanksgiving, and many can inform you of the lesser known, but significant, Thanksgiving celebrations which occurred half a century before the Pilgrims in Plymouth.

For example, French Huguenot colonists settled in what is today Jacksonville, Florida. The explorer/founder of Fort Caroline, Rene de Laudonniere, wrote on June 30, 1564, "We sang a psalm of Thanksgiving unto God, beseeching Him that it would please Him to continue His accustomed goodness towards us."

As for another but permanent settlement, "It was the first community act of religion and thanksgiving in the first permanent [European] settlement in the land," states Univ. of Florida Professor, historian and author Dr. Michael V. Gannon in his book The Cross In The Sand - The Early Catholic Church in Florida, 1513-1870, of the Spanish explorers' and settlers' founding of St. Augustine and their celebration of thanksgiving on Sept. 8, 1565 in which Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and his 800 settlers celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving followed by a celebratory meal to which the native Seloy tribe attended.

But even that special gathering, was not necessarily the "first Thanksgiving," since explorers and their settlers frequently held special meals and celebrations in gratitude for safe voyages to Florida.

Texas has its first Thanksgiving pre-dating even those, for on May 23. 1541, Spanish explorer, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and his men held a Thanksgiving Mass performed by Friar Juan de Padilla. Coronado's men had survived a difficult journey, traveling with thousands of animals, from Mexico in search of the gold of Quivara, the riches of the Seven Cities of Cibola. Upon reaching Palo Duro Canyon the explorers camped and held a thanksgiving celebration.

What is most interesting is to read in detail of these early settlements, the tremendous struggle for survival by land or sea, and the extreme difficulties faced in settling. "First" or not is irrelevant, for all the settlers historical stories are fascinating.

During this Thanksgiving holiday, as part of your Thanksgiving activities, perhaps you can take some time to search and read more details about the first Thanksgivings of our continent, as it will create a sense of awe and respect for our roots and deepen gratitude for all we have and how we came to be here.