Thanksgiving – a piece of America that Ireland should embrace

JOHN FAY,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Thursday, November 24, 2011, 8:51 AM

Updated Thursday, November 24, 2011, 12:27 PM

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Norman Rockwell's 'Freedom from Want' - a family Thanksgiving dinner

Photo by Google Images

Somehow I like that. I like talking about Thanksgiving. I want people here to know about it. In fact, I think it would be great if Ireland took up the tradition.

Who doesn't need a day to take a time out from all the hustle and bustle? A day with no cards, no gifts, no nothing other than time? Time to reflect? What's not to like? And this year, possibly as much as any in the lifetime of anyone alive here today, Irish people could use such a break. It's bad here, but we still live in a safe and relatively wealthy country. We still have quite a bit to be thankful for. It's not Somalia.

Me? I'll be picking up our turkey later this evening and the whole family will sit down to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow afternoon (after school - life's tough for some). My stomach and I can hardly wait.

Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Originally published in Nov 2009.

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sirpeter | Nov 25, 2011, 05:35 PM EST

Trust Bilgegate to ruin a perfectly good celebration.The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest.In later years, the tradition was continued by civil leaders such as Governor Bradford who planned a thanksgiving celebration and fast in 1623.While initially, the Plymouth colony did not have enough food to feed half of the 102 colonists, the Wampanoag Native Americans helped the Pilgrims by providing seeds and teaching them to fish.The practice of holding an annual harvest festival like this did not become a regular affair in New England until the late 1660s.Can't find where the Brit's rode to the rescue at all.Maybe the Brits sent food parcels by throwing them into the sea or something.

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Towngate | Nov 25, 2011, 05:37 AM EST

Well said Captain! John: ~ Thanks, but no thanks-giving. Keep it to yourself, like a good chap! Try and remember you are giving thanks for Britain having saved early settlers skins! How do you imagine Obama would react to being asked to establish "Thank Great Britain Day"! No, we are already infected by 'Fathers Day' and 'Mothering Sunday' from across the pond, that's quite enough, thank you!

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CaptainCon | Nov 24, 2011, 03:46 PM EST

1st rule of living in another culture. Never say the host culture should adopt your customs. Keep your heritage by all means and invite neighbours to share it but remember it isn't something you should impose. In Irish culture hospitality is very important and always has been since the earliest days of the Brehon system bit relies on hospitality being offered and received with courtesy and no guest would lecture their host on what customs should be observed.

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haasny007 | Nov 24, 2011, 01:10 PM EST

I disagree. Thanksgiving is a distinctly American holiday which is uniquely rooted in the country's history. It does not make sense to export it to other countries. Besides, Ireland and other European countries have plenty of religious holidays throughout the year which are not days off in the US.

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GeorgeDillon | Nov 24, 2011, 01:08 PM EST

Is this guy for real? Our Thanksgiving commemorates the English religious bigots known as the Puritans, people who a couple of decades after they settled here were busy massacring Irish Catholics? Commemorate these vermin? Are you crazy, Fay? Looks like you've fried your brains with the turkey.

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RedBranch | Nov 24, 2011, 10:07 AM EST

Hope you will be deep frying that turkey in peanut oil, the only way to assure juicy, succulent tasty turkey every time.

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