Where Thanksgiving Came From

          Happy Thanksgiving!   If you celebrate, that is.   This week’s post will be a short one, as I already mentioned part of it back in September.   For many people in America, yesterday was Thanksgiving, as setup by President Lincoln back in 1861.   Many countries celebrate “Thanksgiving”.   However, America is the only country that celebrates it on the 4th Thursday of November.   Others who celebrate it, such as the Ancient Celtics, do, (or did), so in other months.

          Now, the modern name for such a “Thanksgiving” celebration is Mabon.   That name was only given to it about 40 years ago or so.   Regardless of the name, the traditions and rituals are centuries old.   This celebration took place in September and was, sometimes, called Mean Fomhair, which means Month of Autumn, or, September.   Funny how that works.   It was, also, called Second Harvest and considered a minor holiday.
          Even though it was celebrated two months earlier in the year, it looks as though many of our Thanksgiving traditions stem from it.   For the Celtics, this day, usually honored around September 21st, involved a big feast where families got together in their finest garments and had reflection time whilst enjoying some of the harvest fruits, such as potatoes, carrots, onions, and apples, sometimes set up in a cornucopia.   Sound familiar?
          Of course, our holiday involves some slightly different foods, such as corn and turkey, but that’s more of a regional thing than a holiday one.   Although, in my experience, no vegetable or fruit is off limits.   Another tradition they had was to go out walking afterward.   I know some people don’t take part in that anymore, but many people still do.
          Granted, not much of this is related to Halloween itself, but all three holidays take place in the fall and, at least, two of them involved pumpkins and apples in one form or another.   I know, there aren’t any dead bodies or spooky creatures in this post except for maybe the skeleton of the turkey once dinner is through, but you can’t win them all.   Cut a spooky face into your pumpkin pie and call it good.   Happy Halloween….