When is Thanksgiving 2009? - Origins of the First Thanksgiving - What Day in November 2009? Great dinner ideas

NEW YORK, October 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has announced that two-time Grammy Award winner Kelly Clarkson will perform live during the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day halftime show! The November 22 halftime concert will officially kick off the annual Salvation Army Red Kettle Christmas fundraiser, the nation's largest holiday charitable fundraising drive. The nationally televised live event at Texas Stadium will be broadcast during halftime of the Cowboys match-up against the New York Jets.

Each year the Dallas Cowboys and The Salvation Army encourage Americans to help those less fortunate by donating to The Salvation Army Red Kettles throughout the holiday season. As part of the 2007 celebration, Clarkson will perform songs from her latest album, My December, including the top-ten Billboard Hot 100 single, "Never Again", to help to raise money in the kettles for holiday toys, coats and many other Salvation Army social services. She will also serve as honorary chairperson of the campaign, which will run nationally from Friday, November 23rd through Christmas Eve, December 24th.

The Red Kettle Campaign has been one of the most recognizable and important charitable campaigns in the United States since its inception in 1891. Every holiday season, more than 25,000 Salvation Army volunteers fan out across the country to ring bells and solicit spare change donations to the iconic red kettles from holiday shoppers. For more information, please visit http://www.salvationarmyusa.org

Grand Ole Opry Teams Up to Send American Troops Overseas 'World's Largest Care Package'

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Grand Ole Opry, the U.S. Postal Service, and the U.S. Department of Defense's program "America Supports You" are teaming up to launch on Oct. 6 what is being billed as the "World's Largest Care Package."

Country music fans and top country artists, with the help of some of America's most recognized corporate brands, will show support for America's military overseas by contributing to the packages, which will be shipped by Veterans Day, Nov. 11, to arrive in time for Thanksgiving.

"Never before have so many people from all walks of life, including country music fans, U.S. Postal Service workers, platinum-selling music artists, and others come together to send packages to our troops overseas," said Pete Fisher, Opry vice president and general manager. "We hope that by including this project as part of our 82nd birthday activities throughout October, we can give something tangible back to those who defend our freedoms abroad every day. We're excited to give those who visit us the opportunity to participate in this endeavor."

The Postal Service is providing 1,000 Priority Mail Flat-Rate boxes for the troops, which will be sent to U.S. military bases around the world. Included in the packages will be letters written by fans visiting the Opry House throughout October, gifts from artists, greeting cards from Hallmark, GI Roses gift certificates --- which allow overseas military personnel to send a dozen roses to loved ones back home --- and country music CDs from Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. The Postal Service created the special boxes, which feature Grand Ole Opry and "America Supports You" logos. "Mail is a great morale-booster for our troops," said Postal Service Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications Joanne Giordano. "We're proud to be part of an effort to connect our brave men and women in uniform with their friends and families back home."

The giant package will be unveiled onstage at the Opry House during the evening's first performance. Funds for postage to ship the packages overseas were raised by the Opry through an online auction.

Items will be packaged by Tennessee Marine Family, an "America Supports You" group, whose founder is the mother of a Marine who has served three tours in Iraq.

"The partnership between the Grand Ole Opry, one of our earliest supporters, and the U.S. Postal Service, is an excellent example of how organizations can come together through the 'America Supports You' program," said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Allison Barber. "We're grateful to the companies for the gifts. We know the cards, gift certificates and CDs will make Thanksgiving a little easier for our troops serving away from home. The way all these organizations have come together, I believe, is truly representative of the support of our nation for our military family, and we're grateful for their generosity."

The Grand Ole Opry is presented by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. Opry performances are held every weekend of the year, and the "Tuesday Night Opry" continues through Dec. 18. To plan an Opry visit, call 800-SEE-OPRY or log on to opry.com. Opry performances can be seen and heard each week on the American Forces Network.

About the Grand Ole Opry

The Grand Ole Opry presents the best in country music live every week from Nashville, TN. A uniquely American experience for more than 80 years, the Opry can be heard on 650 WSM-AM, wsmonline.com and www.opry.com. The syndicated weekly program, "America's Grand Ole Opry Weekend," airs on more than 200 country radio stations across the country and on the Armed Forces Radio Network, and "Opry Live" airs each weekend on Great American Country. The Opry will debut on XM Satellite Radio on Oct. 20. The Grand Ole Opry is owned by Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE:GET) , a Nashville-based hospitality and entertainment company that also owns and operates Gaylord Hotels. For more information, visit http://www.opry.com/ or http://www.gaylordentertainment.com/.

About the U.S. Postal Service

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation, 146 million homes and businesses, six days a week. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to cover its operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail. For more information, visit http://usps.com/.

About "America Supports You"

"America Supports You" is an ongoing, nationwide program organized by the Department of Defense to showcase Americans' support for the men and women of the armed forces and their families. Since its launch in November of 2004, "America Supports You" has welcomed nearly 300 home-front organizations and more than 35 corporations to the program. Many "America Supports You" home-front groups demonstrate their support for the troops through letter-writing, care packages, helping the wounded when they return home, assisting military families, sending e-mail, or making a kind gesture. To learn more about how you can support military personnel, please visit http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/.

Source: U.S. Postal Service

Web Site: http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/
http://www.gaylordentertainment.com/
http://www.opry.com/
http://www.usps.com/

Introduction. In 1621, Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest which is considered the first Thanksgiving in American history. Contrary to the stories that have been passed down in American culture, the first Thanksgiving was not considered a tradition by the Pilgrims. The colonists considered a "thanksgiving" a religious holiday that included going to church and thanking God for a specified event. The kinds of recreational activities that they participated in on that day in 1621 would have been considered secular, and not allowed, like dancing, singing secular songs, and playing games.

The original harvest feast of 1621 took place over a three-day period between September 21 and November 11. It was based on traditional English harvest festivals.

The Pilgrims' Journey to America. The Pilgrims, who were originally members of the English Separatist Church (Puritan), were fleeing religious persecution from their native England. In 1609, they fled to Holland (The Netherlands). After a few years, their children were speaking Dutch and had become attached to a way of life that the Pilgrims considered frivolous and immoral. They traveled to the New World, financed by a London stock company. On September 6, 1920, they sailed on the Mayflower from Plymouth, England. There were 44 Pilgrims aboard that called themselves the "Saints," and 66 who called themselves the "Strangers." The long, damp and cold trip took 65 days. When land was sighted on November 10, the two sects agreed to the Mayflower Compact, which guaranteed equality and unity - together they called themselves the "Pilgrims." The Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620.

The Long, Harsh Winter. Of the original 100-plus Pilgrims and crew, less than 50 survived their first harsh winter. On March 16, 1621, a Native American walked into the Plymouth settlement causing fear among the Pilgrims. Samoset, an Abnaki Indian, could speak English that he had learned from the captains of fishing boats off the coast. He greeted them with "Welcome," in English, stayed the night, and returned the next day with another Native American, Squanto. Squanto had been on many voyages across the sea and visited England and Spain. He was a huge help to the Pilgrims, by helping them survive. He taught them how to tap maple tree sap, which plants were poisonous and which had medicinal powers, how to plant Indian corn and other crops. The October harvest was fruitful, so the Pilgrims stored food for the winter. They had corn, fruits, and vegetables, fish packed in salt, and fire cured meat.

A Feast. They had much to be thankful for. They had built homes in the wilderness, raised food for the long winter, and made peace with the Native Americans. A celebration was in order. William Bradford, the Pilgrim Governor, proclaimed a day of thanks for the colonists to share with their Native American neighbors. The next year was harsh and the Pilgrims ran short on food; a "thanksgiving" feast was not repeated. In 1623, the third year, there was a severe drought. The governor ordered a day of fasting and prayer. A long, steady rain followed shortly after. On November 29, a day of Thanksgiving was proclaimed and the Pilgrims again feasted with the Native Americans. Another Thanksgiving Day was not proclaimed until June 1676.

Accounts by Colonists. A first-hand account by a leader of the colony, Edward Winslow, as it appears in Mourt's Relation:

"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, Many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest King Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."

How Thanksgiving Came to Be a National Holiday. On June 20, 1676, the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, discussed ways to best express their thanks for the good fortune that had helped establish their community. Unanimously, they voted to proclaim June 29 as a day of thanksgiving.

On October, 1777, for the first time, all 13 colonies joined in a thanksgiving celebration that commemorated the patriotic victory over the British at Saratoga.

In 1789, President George Washington proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving despite opposition in honor of the new United States Constitution. Many colonists did not feel the hardships of a few Pilgrims warranted a national holiday. Later, President Thomas Jefferson, the third president, scoffed at the idea of having a Thanksgiving Day and discontinued it, calling it "a kingly practice."

It was the efforts of a magazine editor that led to the recognition of Thanksgiving as a national holiday. Sarah Josepha Hale, the author of the poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb," wrote many editorials in Boston Ladies' Magazine and Godey's Lady's Book. It took 40 years of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents for her efforts to produce the desired results. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving. Every president after Lincoln has proclaimed Thanksgiving. The date changed a few times, including the controversial move by President Franklin Roosevelt, who set it up one week to the next-to-last Thursday in order to create a longer Christmas shopping season. Two years later it was moved back to its original date because of public uproar.

In 1941, Congress sanctioned Thanksgiving as a legal holiday to be held on the fourth Thursday in November.

Spiritual Theme. All of the early celebrations had one common theme -- God. Thanksgiving was directed toward Him, their Creator and Provider. They believed that all good things ultimately came from Him and His word (The Bible).

--1 Chronicles 16:8. Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

-- Psalm 100:4. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

--Psalm 105:1. Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

--Romans 14:6. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

-- 1 Corinthian 15:57. Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

--Colossians 3:17. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

--1 Thessalonians 5:18. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

The Pilgrims Thanksgiving Menu - Fact or Fiction?

An Overview of Wampanoag Indian History

Thanksgiving in the Kitchen

How to Cook a Turkey
An Original Recipe for Furmenty (an Indian Pudding)

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Thanksgiving 2009

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