In early autumn of 1621, the 53 surviving Pilgrims of the Mayflower celebrated their successful harvest and that moment is remembered as the First Thanksgiving in Plymouth.
This Thanksgiving was modeled after celebrations that were commonplace in contemporary Europe. One of the influences on that First Thanksgiving, according to professor J.W. Schulte Nordholt, were the celebrations for Leiden's Ontzet that some of the Pilgrims had seen during their stay in Leiden, the Netherlands.
There are four official Thanksgiving events in the Netherlands tomorrow:
- Thanksgiving Day Service: The English Reformed Church, Begijnhof 48 in Amsterdam, 5.00 pm
- Thanksgiving Day Service: The Pieterskerk in Leiden, 11.00 am
- Thanksgiving Dinner: ABC Treehouse in Amsterdam, 6.00 pm (reservations required)
- Thanksgiving Day Dinner: Mövenpick Hotel, Piet Heinkade 11 in Amsterdam. 7:15 pm (reservations required)
The well-known painting the The First Thanksgiving by Jenny Brownscombe is on display in the Lakenhal Museum in Leiden, the first time that this painting is on display outside the United States. It is loan from the Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, MA through January 4, 2010.
The First Thanksgiving by Jenny Brownscombe.