Thanksgiving in Californialand

I am now recovered from Thanksgiving. Last Thursday, fifteen of us gathered around two tables and carried out the ritual of eating much too much food. I had my tofurkey to keep me company. I misread the instructions and when I discovered my mistake it was too late to cook it in the oven. So, I had tofurkey on the Barbie (as in BBQ).

When we had all achieved blimp status, the young adults took the children off to the movies. The remaining adults gathered round for a game of 'Catch Phrase'. It involved getting your team mates to guess your word without saying the word. You then pass to an opposite team member. There is a timer that goes off unexpectedly and if you are holding the ball,the other team gains a point. It was a fast paced, raucous, rollicking good time. Much laughter. The teams were men vs women for simplicities sake. It was rough going for the men. The women pulled out all the stops. At one point, one of my team mates was totally discombobulated when the woman beside him demonstrated 'cleavage'. "When I push my boobs together..." However, we managed to gather our wits time and again and at the end of the night there were male voices raised in a chorus of "We are the champions!".

So, that was the first day. We ended up with three days of food and entertainment... and watching gridiron football. John and Steph made a mighty effort and all went well. A hearty congratulations and thanks to them.

When I grew up, we were taught that the original thanksgiving occurred to celebrate the survival of the Pilgrims ( refugees from religious and political persecution) through their first winter. This was done with the help of the local Native Americans. Some people now claim this as a "christian holiday". I have done some research:

"The Pilgrims, with a puritanical rejection of public religious display, held a non-religious Thanksgiving feast, aside from saying grace. In fact, they seem to have used the three days for feasting, playing games, and even drinking liquor." ( http://www.si.edu/encyclopedia_si/nmah/thanks.htm )

"This ‘festival’, which lasted three days, included the participation of nearly one hundred Native Americans. Governor William Bradford had invited the natives to show them appreciation, for helping his colony survive through the harsh weather conditions." ( http://www.essortment.com/all/thanksgivinghis_redw.htm )

So, thanksgiving was actually a harvest festival. It included people of different cultures, languages, spiritual beliefs, and skin colours. In this spirit, I wish all my diverse friends around the world many thanks for your friendship and love.

Kundan