Is Thanksgiving Pagan?
The celebration of Thanksgiving is widely regarded as a time of gratitude, family gatherings, and feasting. Yet, some question whether its origins are purely secular, Christian, or even rooted in ancient pagan traditions. In exploring the history of this holiday, we uncover a complex blend of cultural practices, religious influences, and seasonal observances that have shaped Thanksgiving as we know it today. But is Thanksgiving truly pagan, or has it evolved into a distinctly modern celebration of gratitude? This article delves into the historical and cultural layers of Thanksgiving to separate myth from fact and examine its true significance.
The Given Origins of Thanksgiving
Many people learn about the origins of Thanksgiving in elementary school. The story goes that the early colonists celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the Native Americans already living in the New World. Supposedly, the Native Americans shared their harvest feast with the colonists in a festive gathering, where both communities came together to learn from one another so they could survive the harsh winter months to come.
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History tells us the truth about how Thanksgiving started. In 1621, colonists arriving at the Plymouth colony in Massachusetts had a harvest celebration feast after several of the Pilgrims went "fowling" and collected dozens of wild birds for food. To their surprise, the Wampanoag people joined them, adding to their feast. This first Thanksgiving took place outside, and was a wild affair that lasted several days.
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Every year since then, the colonists held a Thanksgiving feast for the fall harvest, though there was no official date that they chose to celebrate. This tradition continued in such a way for two centuries, until Sarah Joseph Hale petitioned for Thanksgiving to be named a national holiday. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln heard her plea and agreed that the nation needed a unifying holiday. Thus, it was Abraham Lincoln who named Thanksgiving a national holiday in the United States.
Thanksgiving's Ancient History
What many people do not know is that Thanksgiving has a history going much further back than the Pilgrims. In fact, some sort of Thanksgiving feast can be found in ancient Greece, Rome, and even ancient Egypt. In these celebrations, the peoples gathered together as a community to give thanks to the gods for a successful harvest (Onion et al., 2024). These were often days-long festivals filled with dancing, singing, and of course feasting.
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Thanksgiving has origins in Native American celebrations as well. In many Native traditions, the fall harvest feast of the Green Corn Festival is celebrated around this time of year. This festival lasts up to eight days and features singing, dancing, and of course a feast (Inglish, 2023). Similarly, the Native American tradition of sacred fires and Harvest Moon Feast feature a community gathering where the firstfruits of the harvest are burned in a ceremonial fire as an offering to the gods in Thanksgiving for a successful harvest (Inglish, 2023).
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Although not exactly the same, there is also the ancient Rabbinic tradition of Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles. This week-long celebration included community gatherings, a Sabbath rest, worship in the Tabernacle/Temple, sacrifices to Yahweh God, and, yes, there was feasting. Perhaps the most significant staple of this celebration is that the nation of Israel all traveled to gather together in Jerusalem to worship in the Temple. To this day this celebration continues on with Christians who sincerely wish to honor God with proper worship. Although sacrifices are no longer necessary, due to the sacrifice of Jesus, many Christians gather together during the Feast of Tabernacles to honor God for seven days.
Why Turkey?
Knowing the rich history of the holiday helps us determine whether Thanksgiving counts as a pagan holiday - which is any holiday that honors pagan gods. It appears that the history honors no particular god, but rather is an indulgent celebration of thankfulness for a successful harvest year, with no particular tradition sticking out ahead of the others. Yet there is one modern Thanksgiving tradition that connects everyone during the holiday season: our love of turkey.
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A thorough examination of Thanksgiving history does not show us where exactly the turkey tradition came from. While many schools will teach their elementary students that the first Thanksgiving was a turkey feast brought together by the Native Americans, the true history shows us that the Natives brought venison, not turkey, to the celebration. The colonists did go "fowling" and caught many a wild bird for their feast, but the records do not indicate that the fowls caught were, in fact, turkeys.
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So why turkeys? By the turn of the 19th century, turkey had become the staple meat families served on Thanksgiving. There are many reasons this could be. First, turkey was and is plentiful. Any hunting man could easily catch a wild turkey to feed his family without trouble (Cunningham, 2020). Farm-raised turkeys were bountiful, and since turkeys were raised for their meat and not for any other purpose (like for eggs or for milk), it was easy to get one slaughtered for the feast. Being a large bird, turkeys can feed an entire family, perhaps with leftovers to spare!
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Still, turkeys were not synonymous with Thanksgiving until much later, when activist Sarah J. Hale made efforts to have Thanksgiving made into a national holiday. Her success came with a deep interest in the holiday, many referring to poetry written by colonists from the 1600s who referred to a "great store of turkeys" (Cunningham, 2020). Considering the bird's ease to attain and growing popularity, this quote then sealed the deal, making turkey the known staple of the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Christian Takeaway
Learning about the history of American Thanksgiving, Christians can see that this is a secular holiday as opposed to a pagan one. None of the traditions of modern Thanksgiving have a history rooted in pagan worship. Thus, the bible leaves it to the discretion of the individual whether they will choose to celebrate Thanksgiving or not (Read: Romans 14:6). Christians must use their bible-trained conscience to decide what they will do.
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Some may choose not to celebrate the holiday for many reasons. First, even though none of the modern Thanksgiving traditions are specifically pagan in origin, there are enough similar pagan festivals that one might become uncomfortable celebrating this holiday. Another thing to think about is the controversy surrounding this holiday. Although many try to paint the origins of Thanksgiving as a happy time of community gathering, the truth is that the relationship between the colonists and the Native Americans was bloody. The colonists often dealt with the Native Americans in brutal ways (Onion et al., 2024). The bible calls us to honor Yahweh God in all that we do, including what we eat and celebrate (1 Corinthians 10:31). The bible wants us to treat others with kindness and respect, none of which applies to the relationship between the colonists and the Native Americans (Colossians 3:12). There are some who might find it distasteful to maintain celebrations tied to such unbiblical attitudes and results.
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Then again, others will find that there are no qualms celebrating this holiday, so long as we do so in a way that honors God. How can we do this?
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​First, it's important for Christians to remember that though your work might choose to give you this day off to spend with your family, this day is not a Holy Feast Day, nor a Sabbath. Christians should not confuse the two, as one is an appointment by Yahweh with Yahweh, while the other is a day we celebrate by ourselves. We can still honor God on this day, however, through things like charity work, cleaning a highway, making sure the loneliest of us are included in the feast, and of course in prayer. Christians need to examine their annual Thanksgiving feasts to be sure that there are no pagan influences on your celebration, including false worship lead by family members of a different faith (that is to say, a Christian should not participate in improper worship themselves, but do not need to stop a family member from worshipping in their own way).
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Whatever a Christian chooses to do, they should do it with intent to honor God. Yahweh is a part of all that we do, including feasts and celebrations that are not about Him. Thanksgiving is no different. As children of God, we are called to be thankful to God first for all that He has done (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Works Cited
Cunningham, J. M. (2020, November 24). Why do we eat turkey on Thanksgiving?. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-we-eat-turkey-on-thanksgiving
Inglish, P. (2023, November 12). Native american harvest feasts before Thanksgiving - Owlcation. Owlcation. https://owlcation.com/humanities/Native-American-Harvest-Feasts
Onion, A., Sullivan, M., Mullen, M., & Zapata, C. (Eds.). (2024, October 19). Thanksgiving 2023 ‑ tradition, origins & meaning.
History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving#thanksgiving-s-ancient-origins
Silverman, D. J. (2024, November 28). Thanksgiving Day. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thanksgiving-Day