What's so special about Thanksgiving?

by Thirdson 11 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Thirdson

  So what’s so special about Thanksgiving? To me this is a relatively new holiday custom mainly for not being American more than being a JW. The problem I gather with Witnesses and celebrating Thanksgiving is that it is a national holiday and as a result is a patriotic holiday with a tradition steeped in American history. It is as American as “apple pie” although the pilgrims who started the whole thing were English. (Not forgetting our Canadian neighbors who celebrate earlier) However, the holiday, a time of thanks-giving following a successful harvest is by no means American. Celebrating the harvest dates back as far as human agricultural history goes. Even the nation of Israel had set harvest celebrations.

  Growing up I was not unaware of harvest celebrations. I do remember being kept out of school on certain days (when I was in grades 2,3 and 4) because the school had a semi-religious harvest festival. I couldn’t even donate a can of food to give to the needy. I grew up thinking harvest celebrations were somehow wrong and pagan. We were never unthankful, as a family and we gave thanks frequently for “our daily bread”. But as JWs we never had a special day of thanksgiving and although we had annual gift giving days (a winter present day and parent’s wedding anniversary) there was nothing in our calendar that brought the family together as Thanksgiving does.

  I well remember defending the lack of holidays JWs celebrate. I used the same excuses like "we don’t need set days to celebrate or days to give gifts." But over time I have to come to understand that we tend to forget our blessings, tend not to show appreciation, tend to forget the not-so-fortunate and give thanks less. I still offer or share in a mealtime prayer of thanks (I even call it “grace” now because “grace” means more to me now) but there is nothing like a special holiday to put the impetuous in getting together. As my siblings grew up and left home there came to be fewer and fewer times when the whole family came together. As JWs we didn’t need set days to celebrate so it seems we never set aside time to celebrate being a family.

  Life changes and so did I. I am no longer a JW and I am part of a different family. Thanksgiving means so much more to me now. It means a time to celebrate being in a family, a time to remember our blessings, the material things as well as the friendships. It is not a large family and I guess we won’t have an extremely lavish feast this Thursday. But we will be together, brought together by a national holiday and for once a year pause to stop and think about what we have to give thanks for. This year, with all its tragedy I think a lot of us have had brought home that when life can be so fragile it is the ordinary things like friends and family that are most precious to us. It is never too late to be thankful and never wrong at any time to show appreciation. I just think this Thursday will be an extra-special time to be thankful.

  Thirdson

  'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
• 

  sf

  I too, wonder of the full meaning of Thanks-giving. According to my childs fathers card he just sent re: that holiday, he says that THANKING GOD is the true meaning. My understanding is it is a political holiday in disguise of a godly/religious holiday.

  Actually, I could care less. I celebrate it to be with family and to eat. NOT to "thank god".

  sKally
• 

  Nathan Natas

  I think that to properly understand these rituals and celebrations, one must make an effort to imagine the normal conditions of life our ancestors lived under.

  Since the dawn of man, those tribes that lived in temperate regions have had to contend with the difficulties of winter. Winter posed a major threat to life: if it was longer or colder than expected, the people faced extinction. Gradually man began to celebrate a bountiful harvest, because it meant that when spring came they would still be alive.

  LUTEFISK -
  Some cultures have elevated their ancestor's survival foods to a special status. I'm thinking of lutefisk, the gelatinous form of Cod which has been partially "pre-digested" by treating it with lye. I'm not sure that anyone considers lutefisk a delicacy. This was a "survival food" in the Skandinavian culture - when everything else was gone in dead of winter, it was time to break out the Lutefisk, and the lutefisk kept them alive until spring. Many Skandinavian families maintain a tradition of eating lutefisk during the winter celebrations because it connects them in a visceral way with their hearty and long-suffering ancestors. Think of silver jello with a mildly fishy smell and little taste, and you're thinking lutefisk!
• 

  rekless

  Nothing really, it is like all other holidays... and everthing else in life...you get out of it what you put in it.

  I look at all holidays now as a time to enjoy and help others if I have the means.

  This is the difference between humans and Jehovah Witnesses...

  I say this because of what my JW daughter told my non-Jw daughter, "I didn't come to visit you because I was afraid you might want something out of me."

  Mind you, this is the same daughter that sucked her mom and dad dry when her family was going through a transition due to her husband had an elder attitude and was unable to hold a job.

  I had to go bankrupt after my wife passed away...guess what they are doing fine now but they never have offered to repay me...why, because I am DAed & Dfed not alive... you know the dead are in need of nothing.

  rekless
• 

  DazedAndConfused

  test
• 

  DazedAndConfused

  Good, my new password works today!!!

  Granted it has been many years for me but what I remember understanding at the time Holidays such as Thanksgiving, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, etc... were wrong in the fact that it only gives praise/honor to (God, Mother, Father) only once a year. The reasoning that I remember is in each of these cases it should be something done every day instead of just once a year. I have a problem with that reasoning for the simple reason that just because one day is set aside doesn't mean that the same feelings aren't there the rest of the year. If this reasoing were the same for everything.............Anniversaries would be included wouldn't they?

  The other thing I remember is they encouraged looking into the "origins" of such Holidays. OK, if we do that then JW teachings are totally wrong (which they sre, but this is spoken as if to a JW) due to the origins of their teachings right? Take for an example...I had attended a wedding in upstate NY where the Brother, before the couple exchanged rings, explained that even though wedding rings have a Pagan origin JW's use them as an outward sign the person is married thus protecting the marraige vows. Interesting!
• 

  JanH

  Nathan,

  Re. "lutefisk". The poor fish went through so scary threatment that it's still shaking when it's served!

  Yes, it is considered a delicacy among some people here (and, even more people of Norwegian descent in the US). All I can say to its credit is that it doesn't taste as bad as it looks or smells. In fact, it tastes very little. What still makes it a decent meal is you can ignore the lutefisk itself and concentrate on the rest of the plate: bacon, potatoes, etc.

  - Jan
  --
  "Doctor how can you diagnose someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and then act like I had some choice about barging in here right now?" -- As Good As It Gets
• 

  myMichelle

  I looked this up when my husband declined to come with his family to Thanksgiving dinner after years of participating.

  From my reading of the Reasoning book, this day is a no-no because nonChristian people used to celebrate the harvest and make offerings to their God(s). So, since pagan people used to celebrate and thank God for the food on their table, "true Christians" better not ever set aside a day to give thanks, count their blessings and gather with loved ones.

  Makes zero sense to me,
  Michelle
• 

  sf

  "Yes, it is considered a delicacy among some people here."

  Your hair is considered a delicacy in my Book Jan.

  sKally, has gotten lost in hair like Jan's before, klass
• 

  lauralisa

  Any effort to explore the "meaning" of thanksgiving will definitely be more balanced after many conversations about the specific topic with native american indians, preferably from the american southwest - Arizona or New Mexico.

  skally! How's it going..... I concur with you most vehemently with your opinion of Jan's hair. It's definitely worth exploring. Thanks for the message, btw......

  love, lauralisa

  ~~My miserable life is not your fault~~