Last Thursday of November is observed as Thanksgiving Day in U.S. This year it is on 27th of this month that is tomorrow. It is a national event and a national holiday. There are different interpretations regarding its historical origin .It was started at the first settlement of Europeans in North America. . Its origin is traced as the first celebration held in 1621 at Plymouth Plantation when the Plymouth settlers held a grand harvest feast celebrating bumper harvest season. This practice was continued in later years. It was a season of health and strength. It was a time when all good things were in plenty. They were well equipped to face the harsh winter. It was also mentioned that that there was harvest celebration in 1863 when there was rain and drought ended. In today’s hectic life, it is a break from the hectic life to find time to spend with family members to strengthen family bond or bond among members of extended families at a time when people live in nuclear families.

Historically people have always celebrated a day as a sign of thanks   for whatever they received or nature’s kindness. In 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed ‘National Day of Thanks giving and Praise to our beneficent father who dwelth in Heaven’. The day is also considered as a day to reciprocate hospitality which First European settlers in U.S received from Native Americans who hosted a native dinner with turkey, wild potato etc .These days, it is celebrated as a special time for families and friends for a special traditional feast featuring traditional turkey with cranberry jelly, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin/apple/peanut pies, cinnamon apple and crispy Brussels . Whatever may be its historical origin, it conveys salient messages in the form of human values which are as relevant today as it was in historic times .These messages have deep meaning and we should think deeply to understand them. I am trying to bring out some of them in this short Article.

It is an occasion to take time off from hectic mundane life and spent time on finer things in life or to build, renew and maintain human relations, so that the human relationships stay with us in spite of the onslaught of modern Industrial/ material civilization .Material comforts without human relationships are barren. Human Relationships are like oases in deserts .With machine culture, impersonality and cut throat competition raise their ugly heads.

Life is possible only with nature’s grace or when we allow the law of nature to operate .Nature by which we mean food crops and other vegetations, timely seasons and freedom from natural hazards which make human life worth living .There is symbiotic relationship between man and nature or the so called eco-system.  Man invites disaster when he disturbs the ecological balance by his greed and promoting economic development without human face. One message that comes out of this celebration is that we should live in harmony with nature. Apart from nature, our life depends upon cooperation of so many other people and we should not ignore this inter- dependency. On the contrary we should recognize this and live supportive of each other.  We cannot live all for ourselves without concern for common good .The nations are so inter-dependent today that no one can ignore another nation however weak it is. It can do it only at its peril. What our ancient Indian philosophical wisdom has spoken about ‘Vasudeva kudumbakam’ meaning the whole world is large a large family aptly describes the present day world. It means we as individuals and nations should behave with each other as we would behave with members of our own well knight family .We should not have the feeling that we are the ‘doer’ and show pride or arrogance, on the other hand we should feel that we are only instruments in the hands of ‘supreme power’.  In other words, we should be humble. Humility and gratefulness are like two sides of a coin, the possession of which elevate our personality. Another side of the same values is hospitality. It was mentioned earlier that Thanks Giving day is celebrated also to high light the value of hospitality, which the native Americans extended to New European settlers .In Hinduism there is a great saying ‘Athidhi devo bhava ‘ meaning  guests are God . The lesson we have to learn for our fulfilling lives are that we should be hospitable .The liberty statue is symbolic of the value of hospitality. In the right way American nation is a friendly nation where people from all cultures and ethnic groups work and live in unison .Mahatma Gandhi said ‘keep all the windows open , let winds from all sides blow’ .Synthesis of individual cultures should make world culture   most creative and vibrant .

We are dependent of other persons and nature for our comfortable living. In return to the help and support, we receive from all around, we should be thankful to all . We should be thankful   to God for whatever we have, instead of having the feelings that we have not got our due . Being hospitable and grateful make us humble and value the help we receive . We should be hospitable with no expectations in return .When we thank others for help and nature  for giving us it’s bounty, we should be sincere. It should not be mere or hollow words .This Thanks giving festival convey these messages vividly.

To recapitulate, people should understand the wider meaning of this festival such as being hospitable and  being grateful  for whatever one receives either from others or from nature and  live in such as way  characterized by those values, in addition to  using this festive occasion as occasion of merry making. That is the way of celebrating this and other festivals in their true spirit.

Dr.Asreekumar Menon
Santhasree2000@yahoo.com