The Secret Religious History of Thanksgiving

The “first Thanksgiving” is often traced back to Plymouth in 1621, but the history of giving thanks for the harvest runs much, much deeper. 

Most people think of Thanksgiving as an entirely secular holiday – free of both the religious connections held by holidays like Christmas and Easter, and the patriotic ties that come with events like the 4th of July and Veteran’s Day.

It’s just a day for feasting, giving thanks, and spending time with loved ones. Nothing else to see here… right?

Well, not exactly. In fact, Thanksgiving has religious roots that run deep – so deep that they’re easy to miss at first glance.

This is the story of how the pagans held the original Thanksgiving, how the Christian Church eventually coopted the holiday as its own, and how the symbolic evidence survives to this day.

Here’s everything you didn’t know about the (real) history of Thanksgiving.

Feasting With the Old Gods

Before the rise of Christianity in the western world, the holiday calendar looked a lot different than it does today. Across Europe, the pre-Christian pagans held all manner of seasonal celebrations – marking the coming of spring, for example, as well as the summer and winter solstices.

But some of the biggest festivals occurred around harvest time.

This was a time to give thanks to the gods for a bountiful harvest and to celebrate the success of another growing season.

There were many different types of harvest festivals, but the biggest three were Lammas, Mabon, and Samhain – each honoring different gods and celebrating different parts of the harvest and the changing of the seasons.  

Christians Capitalize on Pagan Festivals

All holidays adapt and evolve as time passes – it’s only natural.

However, pagan holidays have a remarkable track record of (unwillingly) becoming the basis for Christian celebrations. Again and again throughout history, the Christian Church has coopted pagan festivals for its benefit.

From Christmas to Easter, Christians who sought to supplant the pagan faith with their own mastered the technique of incorporating pagan symbols, traditions, and lore into newly-created Christian holidays – thus making it easier to convert more people to the Church.

As you may have suspected, harvest festivals are no different.

The Rise of Harvest Home

As Christianity overtook the pagan faith as the most popular religion in Europe, the celebrations of the harvest were bound to evolve, too.  

In England and Ireland, what emerged was a three-day festival called Harvest Home that featured a great feast to mark the last of the grain getting safely stored for the winter.

This modified tradition incorporated elements of pagan customs, but also had some heavily Christian influences (the festival began with a special church service, for example).  

It was this Christianized harvest festival that provided the basis for the American holiday of Thanksgiving.

And yet, there is another twist to the story.

Puritans Shun Pagan Roots

Here’s the thing: the Puritans – the first English settlers in North America – weren’t big on celebrating Harvest Home.   

In fact, they rejected this harvest festival entirely (as well as other holidays like Christmas and Easter) due to their pagan roots.

The Puritans recognized that pagan celebrations had been merged with Christian beliefs with the goal of converting people to the faith, and thus they weren’t comfortable participating.

But there were good reasons to celebrate the harvest. Starvation was a real threat for early European settlers in North America, and especially in New England, where the winter climate was fierce and unforgiving.

The First Thanksgiving

The “first Thanksgiving” is widely traced back to Plymouth in 1621, when members of the Wampanoag tribe gathered with the Pilgrims for a harvest feast (which perhaps saved the newcomers from starvation). 

We put that in quotes because this certainly wasn’t the first harvest festival ever recorded, nor the first to take place in North America.

Further, many don’t view the first Thanksgiving as an event worth celebrating at all. For people of Native American ancestry, this event marks the beginning of centuries of turmoil, death, and destruction of their lands at the hands of white settlers.  

Native American Harvest Festivals

Like the pagans of Europe, for thousands of years, Native American tribes had been holding harvest celebrations to thank their gods and spirits for the bounty of the season.

Although harvest deities varied from tribe to tribe, many Native American cultures paid homage to “creator gods” that were believed to have helped the Great Spirit complete the earth in its physical form. One such creator god was the Earth Mother, who some tribes believed was the one to bring corn – a harvest staple – to the Native peoples. 

One major celebration occurred around the Harvest Moon in September, when tribes would gather for a harvest feast and give thanks to the crops that brought life to the community. Festivities would often involve dancing, drumming circles, and different types of games.

Tradition Spreads Far and Wide

European settlers in North America continued this ancient tradition of giving thanks, creating their own harvest holidays to celebrate the season’s bounty (though any praise in their versions would go to the Christian God).

Different regions and religious denominations across the U.S. would develop unique versions of this seasonal celebration. However, it wasn’t until the late 19th century that the country rallied around a unified national holiday that was officially named “Thanksgiving.”

But even in this modern version of the ancient harvest celebration – many centuries removed from its pre-Christian roots – we can still see prominent symbols from other religions.

Thanksgiving Religious Symbolism

The Cornucopia is also referred to as the “horn of plenty.”

1) Cornucopia

Among the images closely associated with Thanksgiving is the Cornucopia – a horn-shaped basket that is typically depicted overflowing with foods of the fall harvest like squash, corn, and apples.

Far from a Thanksgiving creation, the Cornucopia (also referred to as the “horn of plenty”) actually traces its roots back to ancient Greek mythology.

According to myth, the she-goat Amalthea nursed a baby Zeus in a cave on the island of Crete. One day, Zeus accidentally broke off her horn. As a sign of gratitude, Zeus made sure the horn was always full of whatever goods the owner desired.

The Cornucopia later became a sacred symbol of the harvest in Celtic pagan tradition.

And today, this symbol of plenty lives on as part of the Thanksgiving holiday – in artwork, decorations, and centerpieces.

2) Turkey

It would be hard to find a more ubiquitous symbol of modern Thanksgiving than the turkey, which studies show is eaten by 90% of American households on Thanksgiving. 

But did you know its origin at the Thanksgiving dinner table likely stems from Native American tradition?

Many tribes view the turkey as a symbol of fertility and abundance. Turkey is a totem animal, and turkey feathers also carry special importance and are used in certain Native American rituals. 

Although experts disagree on whether the “first Thanksgiving” included turkey, that this large bird has become so prominently featured at Thanksgiving tables is no accident.

3) Football

Football on Thanksgiving is also a deeply rooted tradition.

And some experts suggest there’s an ancient explanation for that. 

In addition to large feasts, Celtic pagan harvest festivals often featured some sort of sporting event or athletic competition. 

One such festival was the Irish celebration of Lughnasadh, during which people would compete in events like wrestling and archery. 

In that sense, football on Thanksgiving is the continuation of a centuries-old harvest festival tradition. 

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It’s pigskin season right now but hoop season is just around the corner.

The Caveliers are scheduled to open their regular season on November 6 against Campbell followed by Coppin State on November 11.

This year’s roster is a mixed bag. There are returning players, transfer portal players, recruits, and even a homegrown walk-on in Carter Lang. So it’s anyone’s guess on how this season will materialize.

One thing is for sure though, Bennett will have them ready for the opening tip-off.

A game that UVA fans are looking forward to will be played in Baltimore on November 15 against perennial powerhouse Villanova.

Then, on November 21, they travel to the Bahamas for the Bahamas Mar Hoops Championship where they will face either Tennessee, St Johns or Baylor. Hopefully, they return home with the Championship Trophy.

In all, the Wahoos will have a busy November having seven games on their schedule.

I’m looking forward to the opening game tip-off not only because last season is behind us but I’m anxious to see who Bennett will have as his starting five.

Go Hoos!

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In the process, they lost Reese Beekman and Ryan Dunn, both to the NBA draft. They also lost Leon Bond III and Dante Harris to the Transfer Portal, and Jordan Minor and Jacob Groves to graduation.  So, Bennett had to turn to the Transfer Portal to fill these gaps. However, the first six weeks did not produce one signing. Then, things began to fall into place when Coach Bennett signed four quality players in the next four days, thus filling the 13 Scholarship spots for the 2024-2025 season

Let us now meet those five Transfer Portal players who made the commitment to play Bennett basketball this coming season:

Jalen Warley –Scholarship, Previous School: Florida State, Position: Point Guard, Size: 6’7″, 205 pounds, Eligibility: one more year remaining     

TJ Power – Scholarship, Previous School: Duke, Position: Power Forward, Size: 6’9″, 216 pounds, Eligibility: one more year remaining

Elijah Saunders – Scholarship, Previous School: San Diego State, Position: Forward Size: 6’8″, 225 pounds, Eligibility: two more years remaining

Dai Dai Ames – Scholarship, Previous School: Kansas State, Position: Guard, Size: 6.1”, 185 pounds, Eligibility: three years remaining

Carter Lang –   Walk-on, Previous School: Vanderbilt, Position: Forward,6’9, 235 pounds, Eligibility: freshman, three years remaining   

One of the benefits from these signings is that they all come with playing experience. Now they only have to learn Bennett’s philosophy of the game which we know is defense.

Recruits

In addition to the above players, Bennett also recruited two promising players out of High School. The first is Jacob Cofie (Scholarship), a 6.7” forward from Eastside Catholic High School, in Bellevue, WA and is a four-star top 100 recruit. The other being Ishan Sharma (Scholarship), a 6.4” sharpshooting guard from Fort Erie International Academy, in Milton, Ontario, Canada.

Remaining players for the 2024 – 2025 season.

Shooting Guard Isaac McKneely (Scholarship), one of the go-to guys in the past two seasons when the game was on the line. McKneely is also one of the premier 3-point shooters in the country.

Shooting Guard Elijah Gertrude (Scholarship) is a returning sophomore who seen limited playing time this past season, mainly as a role player. His experience should help him vie for a starting spot on the roster. 

Shooting Forward Andrew Rohde (Scholarship) is a returning junior who has shown he can score in double figures on any given game.

Shooting Forward Taine Murray (Scholarship) is a senior who is also capable of scoring in bunches when called upon.

Center Blake Buchanan (Scholarship). A returning sophomore who gained valuable playing experience this past season. He has the ability to become an impact player for the Hoos but he may be challenged by walk-on player Carter Long who is a former ESPN four-star recruit & McDonald’s All-America nominee. He is also a Charlottesville native.

Center Anthony Robinson (Scholarship) is a 6.10” promising freshman who redshirted this past season to beef-up and learn the Bennett system.

Point Guard Christian Bliss (Scholarship) is also a redshirted freshman who will contend for playing time with Jalen Worley and Dai Dai Ames.

The Coach

Tony Bennett enters his 16th season as Head Basketball Coach of the University of Virginia, and he has compiled an outstanding record of 364 – 136. But that’s not all of his accomplishments:

     ACC Regular-Season Titles: 11 (2010, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023)

     ACC Tournament Championships: 3 (2014, 2016, 2018)

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 15 (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

    National Coach of the Year Awards: 2 (2007, 2015)

Notable Milestones:

– Became the winningest coach in UVA men’s basketball history, surpassing Terry Holland (326-173) in 2023

   – Recorded his 250th win as a head coach against No. 14 Notre Dame in 2020.

    -Led the Cavaliers to their first No. 1 ranking in the AP poll since 1982 in 2018.

    -Guided UVA to a 31-3 record and the NCAA tournament championship in 2019.

    -Has a winning record against each of the team’s ACC rivals.

    -Has been ranked the top defensive coach in college basketball by ESPN Insider and a CBS

    Sports poll of head coaches.

Needless to say, his resume is very impressive, and his numbers will only increase should he remain coaching.

As a long-time fan of the Hoos, I look forward to the upcoming season and to see all the new faces. I got the feeling that UVA basketball is going to be fun to watch again.

Go HOOS!!!

-Jerry Corsaletti

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