The Congregational Church of Manhasset (UCC) hosted their traditional 17th century Pilgrim Worship Service on Nov. 20.
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in November 1621 when the newly arrived Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians gathered at Plymouth for an autumn harvest celebration. The Pilgrims celebrated Thanksgiving as a part of their daily prayer life. The Pilgrims strongly believed that the Church of England and the Catholic Church had strayed beyond Christ’s teachings, establishing religious rituals and church hierarchies that went against the teachings of the Bible. So the Pilgrims, called separatists, came to America to create their own denominations. The Pilgrims came to America for religious freedom—one of the basic fundamentals that was written into the United States Constitution written over 100 years later. But first the Pilgrims were thankful for the harvest that would allow them to sustain themselves and live through the winter.
The Congregational Church’s Pilgrim service included elements dating back to the 1600s, including a costumed Tithing Man (who awakened the drowsing with his staff—a feather on one end for the women and a brass knob on the other end for the men), Pilgrim Drummer, Pilgrim Family and a “stalwart person” who “lined out” a hymn. The children’s choir of Pilgrims and Native Americans sang under the direction of Christy Weppler.
