Thanksgiving festival is based on the 1621 harvest feast offered by Wampanoag people to English colonists or pilgrims.
The happiness of that shared meal soon disappeared as Native peoples and Pilgrims began to compete for resources. The resulting conflicts existed for generations. Despite the violent interactions between the two groups, there was a superficial misconception of coexistence.
In 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day in November.
In 1970 a movement was started by Indigenous protesters/ United American Indians of New England. They believed that Thanksgiving should be celebrated as a National Day of Mourning. They wanted this day to be a reflection of the displacement and persecution of Native Americans.
Nowadays, many do not think about history. For them, this holiday is just a family day. Thanksgiving mainly involves eating large meals, watching TV, getting ready for shopping on Black Friday, etc. Commercialism has taken over the original way of celebration and facts.
The minimum we can do on this holiday is express gratitude for what we have and share it with others. It is a time to have home-cooked meals with extended family and guests(from various cultures and ethnicities), leaving aside the differences. This is an opportunity to remember the wrongs we have done to others, our community, country, universe, etc. Introspect, correct mistakes, and remember to earn with two hands but give with thousand hands.
Vasudhaive Kutumbakam(the whole world is one family) is the essence of this festival.
Bharti Raizada