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KWENU: Our Culture, Our Future |
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Thanksgiving in America: Laced with varied reasons
ACHO ORABUCHIDallas, Texas
Monday, November 29, 2004
Today, the Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. It is time for sharing; a time for families to sit, relax, and eat. The traditional meat for Thanksgiving dinner is turkey. Thanksgiving was conceived when the Pilgrims and Puritans thought it necessary to give thanks for their political and religious freedom, including the progress they made in the new found land. Today, commemorate Thanksgiving for various reasons.
The Pilgrims, who left Plymouth, England for political freedom and self-government, braced the dangers of the waters and sailed on Mayflower on September 6, 1620 and arrived about two months later to establish their own colony in Plymouth in New England area. In autumn of 1621, the Pilgrims began a harvest festival—Thanksgiving that has now become a three-day feast in American culture.
Though Plymouth was said to have been a place where the first Thanksgiving was held in America, yet there is a debate over where Thanksgiving first took place. Plymouth, a town in the state of Massachusetts, sits on Plymouth Bay and about 55 kilometers southeast of Boston. Boston, the home of World Series Champions, Boston Red Sox—a baseball club and New England Patriots, the Super Bowl Champions, is the cradle of freedom.
Boston is historically, politically, and academically significant city. It is the home of the Freedom Trail and USS Constitution; home of the Kennedy’s and John Kerry; and home of Harvard, MIT, and UMASS Boston Campus. It is said that Boston is the primary gateway to many other tourists’ attractions in and around the New England areas.
In Boston over the past weekend, Chief Ide Victor Okoye and his wife, Atty. Ogo Okoye had a special Thanksgiving celebration. They celebrated their six-year marriage anniversary in the presence friends and well-wishers from various parts of the country. Some people may wonder why celebrating a six-year anniversary and not wait for 25 years of commitment. Well, to survive six years of happy married life with the same spouse is not too common among Nigerian community, particularly the Igbo community in the United States. Separations, divorces, and or tumultuous marriages among Nigerians in America have become all too common. In any case, the issue is not within the purview of this story.
Ide Okoye’s celebration was well attended by his associates in PDP and Boston Branch of People’s club. Some of the personalities that graced the occasion were Dr. & Mrs. ICA Okpalobi, Ichie Emma Okafor, and a host of others.
Today, many of us will celebrate Thanksgiving for various reasons. While the early settlers from Europe celebrated Thanksgiving for political and religious freedom, new immigrants will, in no doubt, commemorate Thanksgiving for economic freedom. Still, others will venerate the Thanksgiving Day for varied reasons.
Personally, I’m mostly thankful to God for my family and health. As I observe the Thanksgiving Holiday, I reflect on God’s blessings and His kindness to humanity.
I asked my 15-year old daughter, Chinwe Ogechi Orabuchi, to list the 10 most important things she is thankful for during this Thanksgiving Holiday. Here is her list:
It is my humble opinion that we should be thankful to God everyday for his blessings and love. It is not enough to remember God’s blessings periodically; we should give thanks to the Almighty every moment of our live. |
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