By Venisa Wallace, Staff Writer
Black Friday, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and bountiful tables laden with all kinds of foods including the infamous turkey, is the most popular description of Thanksgiving in the United States today. It seems that families come together monotonously, not remembering the first Thanksgiving and the symbolic meanings and lessons learned from this event that once impacted a nation. It has been complained that many holidays have been commercialized, losing the real essence for celebration, and Thanksgiving is not exempt from this complaint.
According to history.com, Thanksgiving celebration was introduced through a notable event. This event was the coming of the pilgrims on the Mayflower to Plymouth, New England in search of religious freedom. These pilgrims came in winter and were devastated by the turbulent weather. Half of the pilgrims died, as a result of contagious diseases and scurvy. In March, the remaining pilgrims left the ship and were greeted by an Indian who was able to speak English. This led to the pilgrims being introduced to Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe Squanto taught the pilgrims how to cultivate the land and hunt. He also made an alliance between the pilgrims and Wampanoag, a local tribe. in November of 1621, the pilgrim’s crop harvest was successful; this prompted Governor William Bradford to have a celebration, where he invited the Native American Indians. This celebration lasted three days. It was the Indians thoughtful aids to the pilgrims, showing them survival methods and other cultural techniques which enabled the pilgrims to survive. Additionally, it was the thankful attitude of the pilgrims in inviting the Indians to have a feast with them that showed friendship, love, appreciation, and symbols of unity. In essence, it is with unity and appreciation in mind that Americans have dinner on this given day together with family and friends, celebrating gratitude toward those who have enabled Americans to progress into the future, and passing on such a gift to another person or group of people.
When thinking about Thanksgiving on a college campus, one may think about the integration of individuals from different cultures and countries. This provides a reincarnation of the first Thanksgiving in a more modern light: planes flying in from different countries and landing at one destination and cars driving to one school, specifically Saint Leo University. For many international students, especially those from tropical countries, the first winter spent at a foreign University might be difficult. It is through the efforts of other students, family members, and friends who are citizens or residents of the U.S that enables foreign students to feel comfortable and cope while being away from home. The increasingly cold weather of Florida during the winter months is not the only problem, but the absence of close familial ties and surroundings may induce sadness. This is especially so during special holidays when everyone seems to be going home and is excited about being around loved ones. Specifically, Thanksgiving may be a lonesome time for foreign students; due to the short length of the holiday, many students remain in the country where they go to school. Some foreign students even stay on campus because they have no relatives near their school.
Several international students at Saint Leo University told The Lions’ Pride how they celebrated Thanksgiving and what Thanksgiving meant to them. These students said that they spent Thanksgiving with relatives or friends that lived in Florida.
“I’m spending Thanksgiving in Orlando” said sophomore student Perry Davis who is originally from the Bahamas.
Most Caribbean students expressed that their Thanksgiving meals did not just comprise of only turkey, pumpkin pies, and other colloquial dishes; instead, dinners with their American relatives and friends often included dishes from their home country. Some international dishes that may be incorporated into the Thanksgiving meal are the Jamaican dish curry chicken and rice and peas or the popular Haitian dish griot.
It is in the spirit of Thanksgiving that students invite others of different cultures who are far from home to celebrate the holidays, incorporating two cultures in one night of sharing dinner. In celebration of Thanksgiving, extend a helping hand to friends, families and others who might just need a warm family surrounding, filled with love and thanksgiving.
