And it happened 50 years before Plymouth!
Did you know that the first “thanksgiving” meal in the
United States was not celebrated by the Pilgrims in Plymouth, but by
Spanish settlers, in what became Florida? And that first “Thanksgiving” was
Eucharistic!
Historian Dr. Michael Gannon narrates the
events that took place on September 8, 1565.
“When the first Spanish settlers landed in
what is now St. Augustine on September 8, 1565, to build a settlement, their
first act was to hold a religious service to thank God for the safe arrival of
the Spanish fleet. After the Mass, Father Francisco Lopez, the Chaplin of the
Spanish ships and the first pastor of St. Augustine, stipulated that the
natives from the Timucua tribe be fed along with the Spanish settlers,
including Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles, the leader of the expedition. It was
the very first Thanksgiving and the first Thanksgiving meal in the United
States.”
The Spaniards, with food that they brought
with them on the ship, prepared the communal meal. According to records, the
meal would have consisted of salted pork, garbanzo beans, ship’s bread and red
wine.
This account of the first “thanksgiving”
reflects what was found in Father Francisco’s memoirs. In it we read, “the
feast day [was] observed . . . after Mass, ‘the Adelantado [Menendez] had the
Indians fed and dined himself.’”
The feast celebrated by the Spaniards was
that of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s birthday, a day in the Church calendar that
follows nine months after the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary on
December 8 (which just happens to be the patronal feast of the United States of
America).
The meal “may have also included Caribbean
foods that were probably collected when Menéndez stopped to regroup and
resupply at San Juan Puerto Rico before continuing to Florida… If the Timucua
contributed, it would likely have been with corn, fresh fish, berries, or
beans.”
Additionally, before the Mass was
celebrated, “Father Francisco López, the fleet chaplain…came ashore ahead of
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, the leader of the founding expedition, and then went
forward to meet Menéndez holding a cross… Menéndez came on land, knelt and
kissed the cross.” This historical event reminds us that the Eucharist (from
the Greek that literally means “thanksgiving”) is the primary way to offer
thanks on Thanksgiving Day, followed by a meal shared in a spirit of
fraternity. Let God be a central part of your holiday! As Americans this is our
heritage, one that we hope to pass on to the next generation
