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From: bitmap@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Thanksgiving
Message-ID: <419@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 21-Mar-84 17:58:32 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbtopaz.419
Posted: Wed Mar 21 17:58:32 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 23-Mar-84 07:13:51 EST
Organization: Univ. of Calif., Berkeley CA USA
Lines: 20

>Funny, I was under the impression that thanksgiving was a pagan holiday
>Am I wrong?
>
>				Sophie Quigley
>			...!{decvax,allegra}!watmath!saquigley

Well, I always thought that Thanksgiving was a festival of 
"giving thanks to God" initiated by the Pilgrims in (?) 1621.
Perhaps I'm wrong, or perhaps you are thinking that "harvest time"
was accompanied by partying in various cultures--that may be true,
but it doesn't make Thanksgiving pagen, anymore than traditional
"winter solstice" celebrations make Christmas pagen.

My World Almanac points out that, technically, there are no
"national holidays", as the states have control over what is a
holiday.

Sam Hall
ucbvax!bitmap@ucbtopaz