Where did Thanksgiving get its start?

Over the years the meaning of Thanksgiving has for the most part been long forgotten. It has become known mostly as day we over eat, watch football and hit the store to start our Christmas shopping. Even those of us that are familiar with the story of the pilgrims the landed at Plymouth Rock have very little idea of the actual meaning behind the celebration.

Even though we associate both Easter and Christmas with religion it is Thanksgiving can traces its beginnings back to the Old Testament. After the Exodus from Egypt there was a set of rules dealing with food and among those where a number of feasts. Among those feasts was the feast of the Tabernacles that is to be celebrated in the month of Tishri, which in our calender is right around October, to give thanks for the harvest that has been provided and their 40 years of survival in the wilderness. Whether or not this was the what the Pilgrims had in mind when they invited the local Indians for their Thanksgiving could be of debate. What can not be denied though is there is a strong parallel between the two feasts since they were both around harvest time and giving thanks to their survival and bountiful harvest.