Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-11-29
rHAsKsG1v1sG KErLEcr1oSs.
Some Information About the Origin and
History OF the Day,

The origin of Thanksgiving Day is
lost in the nists of antiquity. Proba-
bly, the Aztecs and Zunis INDUCED in
their yearly rejoicings over abundant
crops and other blessings showered
upon them by their gods. on the same
spot as we are doing at the present
time, exactly as the Greeks and pre-
historic nations of Europe and Asia
probably did on the other side of the
water centuries ago.
Such 4 religious nation as the Jews
of course had its appropriate sacrifices
and services for rhe OCCASION as Holy
WRIT informs us. which We're strictly
performed as was usual With that sin
Gularly devout people. But long before
monotheism had superseded or come
into rivalry With polytheism. thanks
giving days had been established as
regular festivals in the calendars If the
early civilizations.
AT the slime the Ilad vas written the
two principal festivals Of Greece We're
chose of the harvest ana the vintage
respectively Rome itself was founded
amid pastoral festivities Of a thanks
giving nature in honor Of the god
Pales. ana the feast of Cerea!ia vas
long one Of her principal festivals.
The ancient Persians seem to have
been the only nation among the early
civilizations which had absolutely no
thanksgiving festival, a circumstance
which was probably due to the fact
that they had no temple and did not
worship in common. They worshippad
the sun only and preferred 70 DO in a
solitary manner. dsliking TO ATTEND
large religious gatherings
But the Egyptians. Assyrians. BABY
lonians and Phrygians and their pred
e>essors all had their feasts and fasts
and the inevitable Thanksgiving was
sure 10 be among them.
We find that during the middle ages
the Druids, who We're the priests of a
pastoral people, had great thanksgiv-
ing festivals, and the Cioths and Huns
alike had their pagan celebrations
pertaining to the same occasion.
In fact in all the accen'tuated stages
OF nature, the most notable of which
We're seed time and harvest. seem to
have been seized upon for making APP
propriate celebrations. identified as
they We're with the solsiices, o.. the
turning points of winter and summer.
To the pastoral man. with his limit
ed sphere Of action and resources, the
gathering of the harvest was an all
important item in the calendar of the
Year. He charged plenty or famine to
the unseen powers and sought to pro
pltlate them as far as possible by Civ
ing thanks for favors at each harvest
In the great fruit countries the time
or vintage was the period selected fer
these rejoicings and thanksgivings,
while farther north the harvesting Of
the cereal crops was celebrated.
The rise Of the Roman church, con
sequent upon the dawn Of the Christian
era and the spread of Christianity,
transformed these celebrations into
| nronotheistic instead Of pagan ceremo-
MES. but the outward form of the OBJ
servance differed little from them ex-
cept that the wild orgies With which
some OF the pagan rites had been ac-
compllShed We're more or less done
away with. .
In all the European countries today
1.-THE custom of giving thanks after the
harveSs' has been gathered continues,
and most of the Christian churches
hold services BETTING the occasion
Thanksgiving days are. therefore old
! institutions. and will doubtless contin-
ne to be observed as long as there are
| harvet SITS gathered.