Whoa, take ‘er easy there, Pilgrim
In ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’, John Wayne tossed the term ‘pilgrim’ around no fewer than 23 times in only 119 minutes.
Was it aimed at a recalcitrant, founding Pilgrim Father? Nope.
At a bogus descendent of the Mayflower? Nay.
Then the worst offence of all to Plymouth Rock, an atheist despot? Not even close.
1620, Massachusetts vs. 1910, of the Old West
The pilgrims leave England. They arrive in Holland. They leave Holland some 11 years later. They arrive in the New World in 1620.
When the pilgrims left Holland they were looking for a little more than religious freedom. Not that they were full of themselves, or lackadaisical in work ethic. (Sidebar — Gravel Roads could no more be a Mayflower pilgrim than a Jamaican bobsledder).
What they really wanted was a place to call home that would not only tolerate their independent spirit but also appreciate their cultivated English heritage, and allow them to earn a decent living without taxing quite so much of their children’s and elder’s physical fortitude.
(Sidebar — there was imminent fear of a Danish war with the Spanish, which depending upon the outcome, could further chip away at their already fractured culture; and even young children were required to labor in Denmark; and there was the all-too fruitful lure to pilgrim youngsters of a rewarding, seafaring life, compliments of the Netherlands and its historic way-faring ways).
And so, Holland was merely a rolling stop on the way to that New World.
Although we attribute the first celebration we now call Thanksgiving to the pilgrims, it’s sadly not the case. Or sadly not. Not the case. (Sidebar — Gravel Roads is making no attempt to be politically correct here. Merely tolerant like the pilgrims and very much accepting, either way).
Europeans in North America, pre-pilgrims, such as the French and Spanish, and native Americans such as the Algonquians and Wampanoag celebrated a bountiful harvest either annually or throughout the year. The pilgrims observed it as a day devoted to holy worship, acknowledging blessings from the Lord.
‘Nough said about all that.
In ‘Whoa, take ‘er easy there, Pilgrim’, John Wayne was addressing a greenhorn or tenderfoot, someone ‘innocent’ of the ways of the west.
Not the sort of hat and buckle image that comes to mind on Thanksgiving. The movie refers to a wandering traveler, perhaps a foreigner, an Easterner recently arriving in the Old West. Someone borne of values. Humble. Perhaps trite. Certainly timid. The “pilgrim” values associated with faith and religion. (Sidebar — Gravel Roads prefers this image for Thanksgiving).
Not the harsh realities of Massachusetts in 1620 or of the Old West in 1910.
Which brings us to Thanksgiving south of the 49th parallel. Celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.
Was the Plymouth trip really necessary?
Not if you’re from Canada
North of the 49th parallel celebrates Thanksgiving in October, the second Monday to be precise.
There are no pilgrims. No Plymouth Rock. No founding fathers.
Same sentiment, though. Or as the Parliament of Canada proclaimed on January 31, 1957,
A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed . . . .
Note from Gravel Roads — Happy Thanksgiving to all friends and family, north and south of the 49th parallel. May continued blessings abound.
