We grow up imagining the first Thanksgiving as a simple story we all learned the same way. But the truth — like most beginnings — is more layered, more human, and more surprising than the versions we were taught in school.
 

The year was 1621, in the place the Wampanoag called Patuxet — a village emptied by a devastating epidemic just a few years before the Mayflower arrived. Only about fifty Pilgrims were still alive after their brutal first winter. When the colonists fired their muskets in celebration of the harvest, ninety Wampanoag men arrived — not by invitation, but because they heard gunfire and came prepared to defend their people. What followed was a three-day gathering, a fragile peace held together by necessity, diplomacy, and two communities learning how to share the same ground.
 

And here’s the part most people don’t know: in the Pilgrims’ tradition, a “Thanksgiving Day” was not a feast at all. It was a fast — a day of prayer and humility. The 1621 gathering was a harvest celebration. Only centuries later did it become the symbol we now recognize.
 

Still, there is something deeply spiritual about the image of two very different peoples — each with their own rituals, wounds, and hopes — sitting at the same table. Not in agreement. Not in perfect harmony. But present. And maybe that is a truth worth carrying into our own Thanksgiving gatherings this year.
 

Traditions Speak
 

🪶 Wampanoag Tradition — Life was understood as infused with Manitou, the spiritual force present in every being. The harvest season was a time of reciprocity, sharing, and reaffirming community ties. Hospitality carried spiritual meaning — a way of honoring balance with the land and with one another.
 

✝️ Pilgrim Christianity — Shaped by Calvinist belief and a deep trust in providence, the Pilgrims saw survival itself as a sign of God’s mercy. Their religious “Thanksgiving” was a fast, not a feast — a day of humility and prayer. The abundance of 1621 would have been understood as grace after suffering.
 

Question for Reflection
What does it mean to share a table with people whose stories — or truths — are different from your own?
 

Postscript
If something in this story surprised you, we’d love to hear it. Join the conversation in the comments.
 

¹ “Thanksgiving” by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris, 1932.