Thanksgiving: One more reason to be grateful to immigrants

This interesting article tells about prayers and feasts of thanksgiving that took place before the Pilgrims had theirs. - - Donna Poisl

IMMIGRATION SOLUTIONS

By ROBERT L. REEVES

Thanksgiving, the quintessential American holiday, was created by immigrants. While everyone associates the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims, that is not historically correct. Several thanksgiving celebrations were held by immigrants prior to that event.

The first recorded Thanksgiving ceremony took place on September 8, 1565 when 600 Spanish settlers landed in what is now St. Augustine, Florida and immediately held a Mass of Thanksgiving for their safe delivery to the New World. The Mass was followed by a feast and celebration.

A Spanish expedition party rested and conducted a mass at San Elizario (near El Paso, Texas) in celebration of thanksgiving on April 30, 1598.

On December 4, 1619, 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Hundred, which is about 20 miles north of Jamestown, Virginia. The group’s charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a day of thanksgiving to God.
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