Today in the U.S. many will celebrate the secular holiday called “Thanksgiving.” Now that the pandemic has been somewhat tamed due to ubiquitous vaccinations and continued care taken during social interaction, some traditions that had been dismissed last year are now being revived—to a limited extent. Thanksgiving originated as a harvest festival, and the pervasive imagery has been inspired by legends about Calvinist separatist Pilgrims who emigrated in 1620 from The Netherlands to the “New World.” These staunchly Christian folks supposedly included, now and again, select nearby indigenous pagans in their festivities. However, the interactions between the European immigrants and […]
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Today in the U.S. many will celebrate the secular holiday called “Thanksgiving.” Due to the currently surging pandemic, some traditions must be curtailed. It originated as a harvest festival and the ubiquitous imagery has been inspired by legends about Calvinist separatist Pilgrims who emigrated in 1620 from The Netherlands to the “New World.” These staunchly Christian folks supposedly included, now and again, select nearby indigenous pagans in their festivities. However, the interactions between the European immigrants and the Native Americans were often quite negative. Various virulent pathogens were unknowingly brought to North America which, in many situations, devastated the local […]