Last week President Bush issued a Presidential Proclamation (full text) setting today as Thanksgiving. Stressing religious origins of the day, the President said "Nearly four centuries have passed since early settlers gave thanks for their safe arrival and pilgrims enjoyed a harvest feast to thank God for allowing them to survive a harsh winter in the New World." He continued: "I encourage all Americans to gather together in their homes and places of worship with family, friends, and loved ones to reinforce the ties that bind us and give thanks for the freedoms and many blessings we enjoy."
Yesterday, the President focused more on the secular aspects of the holiday, pardoning two Thanksgiving turkeys brought to the White House by the National Turkey Federation. Today the turkeys will serve as the honorary grand marshall of the Thanksgiving Day Parade at Disneyland. However, President Bush did not totally ignore the religious element of the day, pointing out-- just before granting the formal pardon-- that "on Thanksgiving Day, we gather with loved ones and we lift our hearts toward heaven in humility and gratitude." (Full text of President's statement.) The White House website has a special web page devoted to Thanksgiving 2006, including the results of the online voting for the preferred names for the White House turkeys. The winning choice was Flyer and Fryer.
Joseph Knippenberg at No Left Turns discusses the history of Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamations, and the varying emphasis on religion in them. And in today's Washington Post, columnist Jon Meacham discusses how to fit Thanksgiving into America's church-state separation.
