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Thanksgiving may originate in the Jewish holiday Sukkot
By Lynda Appell of Artists for Recovery
There are people who say Sukkot is the Jewish Thanksgiving. I think Thanksgiving is the US Sukkot, since the reality is the Jewish holiday is thousands of years older than the US holiday. Sukkot goes back to the days of the Exodus. Bible Historians believe the era of the Exodus is Ancient Egypt. Some bibical scholars, theologians, historians think the US holiday Thanksgiving originated with the ancient Hebrews. They very well may be right. The evidence is the fact that much of the late November special day and The Festival of Booths themes are of giving thanks. Sukkot pronounced either suCOAT or SUK oth celebrates the harvest and a thanking of the yearly harvest. It is still observed by many Jews today, worldwide. It is known as the "Festival of Booths" because generally speaking, Orthodox and some Conservative Jewish people dwell under special structures during Sukkot. Sukkot lasts for seven days. Its inspiration is the original Hebrews giving thanks for the years harvest. Sukkot means booth in Hebrew. To some Jews the booths remind them the LORD is their shelter. Sukkot is meant to be celebrated joyously. It is a time to
be thankful and give praise to Creator for one's bounty.
"you shall have nothing but joy." [Lev. 16:15]
Jewiah people build a sukkah, a harvest booth, where their meals are eaten. Some sleep in the booths during the festival. It is in remembrance of the booths their ancestors may have lived in the duration of their four decade Sinai journey. These are still used by farmers in the Middle East today.
The Pilgrams, considering themselves to be good devout Christians, held the teachings of the Old Testament in high esteem. They tried to incorporate the teachings of the Holy Scripture into their lives. One way they did it was to incorporate Jewish Holidays into their special days. One example of this would eventually be known as Thanksgiving. The first such celebration was in 1621 with a feast with the American Indians. It lasted for three days. The pilgrims were grateful the Native Americans were friendly and there was enough food, drink for everybody.
In 1863 US President Abraham Lincoln officially made Thanksgiving a national holiday. F.D. Roosevelt in 1941. made the day celebrated on the Fourth Thursday in November.
Some people believe this was done to expand the Christmas holiday-shopping season. Prior to landing in in Plymouth Rock in what is now Massachusetts, the Pilgrims lived for some time in the Netherlands. There they came to know of the Shephardim, aka Spanish Jews. Their customs including their religious ones became fairly well known. So much so the Pilgrims became quite familiar with the Jewish holidays. They knew of the similarities between Sukkot and what would eventually become the first celebration of Thanksgiving.
The devout Christian Pilgrims didn't study the Hebraic special days because they wanted to convert to Judaism. It was more out of respect for the people of the Bible. So much so they viewed themselves as the "New Israelites" That is the heirs to the Biblical people. "Their conscience frame of reference was Sukkot." The prior paragraph's source is Gil Marks Historian and Rabbi. It isn't in quotes since I paraphrased. I didn't change the meaning of his original text. Exception, the last sentence. url www.ritualwell.com. In conclusion Thanksgiving is pretty much modeled on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Both express thankfulness. In the Old Testament observance there is thanks for the harvest. In the Pilgrim's original feast day it was gratitude for both peace and sustenance. Today it is a day where one gives thanks for what ever one is thankful for.
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Contributor's Note
The origin of Thanksgiving may go back to the Old Testament.
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This intel was contributed by mugwort
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