Thanksgiving is a very important holiday. Ours was the first country in the world to make a national holiday to give thanks. Linus van Pelt, Chief Blue‐Plushie Blanket Officer at Peanuts Corp. and Charlie Brown’s Best Friend Happy almost Thanksgiving Day denizens of Digital Gotham! It’s almost time for that big day of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, American Football (from the NFL, collegiate, to high school), family debates around the dinner table, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and of course THE TURKEY DINNER! In America, Thanksgiving Day has been a traditional holiday since President Abraham Lincoln made it official in 1863. The very first Thanksgiving celebration was held in autumn in 1621 in Plymouth Massachusetts between the pilgrim settlers of The Mayflower and the Wampanoag tribe of Native Americans. Though no turkeys were actually served then, just a meal of deer, venison, geese, oysters, lobster, eel and fish and probably pumpkins. Thanksgiving in America is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November (that’s also thanks to President Lincoln). And The NFL began the Thanksgiving Classic Games in 1920, which started the whole football aspect to the holiday. It may also surprise you to learn that Canada’s first Thanksgiving celebration actually predates America’s—by more than 40 years! In 1578, an expedition led by the English navigator Martin Frobisher held a ceremony in what is now Nunavut, giving thanks for the safety of their fleet. This is considered the first‐ever Thanksgiving celebration in North America, and it is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Though in fact, First Nations (the indigenous peoples of Canada) and Native Americans tend to refer to it as You’re Welcome Weekend. However, what most people probably think of most when it comes to this venerated holiday is…Black Friday…NO! The food. At least that’s what Digital...
Pilgrims
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December 13, 2019Happy Friday the 13th Everyone! Why do I mention this? Well, it seems to be an old American tradition that if a Friday happens to fall on the 13th day of any given month, then strange and unexpected things are supposed to happen. The number 13 is often regarded as unlucky; furthermore, in Italian culture Fridays are considered an unlucky day. Therefore, when the famous Italian opera composer Gioachino Rossini passed away on Friday, November 13, 1868, it came as no surprise that the fateful calendar day played a part in his untimely demise—of course it had nothing to do with him suffering from an incurable illness at the time. Some sources also say that this unpopular day may also have some historical precedence with Jesus Christ’s last days before his crucifixion on what is referred to in Christendom as Good Friday. Regardless, popular culture has also played apart in fostering this notion that a specific date on the Gregorian calendar can cause so much grief. For example, authors like Dan Brown and John J. Robinson mentioned a rather bleak historical episode concerning the arresting and subsequent execution of Knights Templar by King Philip IV of France. Of course, there’s the ever-popular Friday the 13th series of horror-genre films that certainly help to perpetuate this superstition. And let’s not forget the ubiquitous Black Cat. Heaven forbid one should cross your path! That’s a trip to “Bad-Luck-Ville” right there. LOL! The ominous mystique of black cats can be traced back to Ancient Egyptian times when they were worshipped at emissaries of the Gods. Anyone who killed a cat would have been severely punished or even killed back then. Later, during the Dark Ages through to the Pilgrims of the New World, black cats were considered familiars to witches and agents of...