The Thanksgiving Ceremony by Edward Bleier

The Best New Traditions for the Family Holiday Feast

Nov 10, 2009

Add a formal, participatory Thanksgiving ceremony to reflect on blessings enjoyed, remember those no longer at the table and set goals for the future to the family feast.

At the center of Bleier's book is a 20 minute ceremony designed to be read aloud around the Thanksgiving table. Roles for all guests, from youngest to oldest are included. The ceremony recounts the story of the early settlers and the challenges they, and all subsequent immigrant generations, faced.

The role of the Native Americans, who made it possible for the Plymouth settlers to survive, and the outrage of slavery are recognized. The ceremony reminds those at the table that America is a nation of immigrants and it is that diversity which makes the country great.

William Safire Foreword and the Politics of Thanksgiving

The book contains an “eloquent, erudite, and witty” (pg. 120) foreword by the recently departed and sorely missed New York Times Language Maven, William Safire. Safire provides insight into some of the political reasoning behind Thomas Jefferson’s dismissal of a national Thanksgiving holiday and why Lincoln needed a national holiday and how Thanksgiving fit the bill.

History of Thanksgiving

Bleier has written a brief history of Thanksgiving, beginning with events in England in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Bleier traces the political and religious issues that caused people to travel to the new world.

Once in the new world, Bleier addresses the tensions between the Native Americans and the white immigrants. “The traditional custom of the Native tribes was to offer help and hospitality to those in need, yet a growing mistrust of the white intruders-particularly slave merchants who raided indigenous communities and left illness in their wake-discouraged the Natives from their traditional practices.” (pg. 32)

The Thanksgiving Ceremony Script

Bleier includes a detailed script for The Thanksgiving Ceremony. Staging directions, individual monologues and group chants and singing are detailed for the reader.

Diverse Thanksgiving Blessings

Bleier includes a diverse array of inspirational Thanksgiving resources including quotes about gratitude and giving thanks; prayers and reflections; poems; songs, hymns and anthems. Pieces by Maya Angelou, Irving Berlin, Woody Guthrie, Kahlil Gibran, Alice Walker, and Emily Dickinson, serve as reminders of the meaning of Thanksgiving.

Publisher’s Weekly review of The Thanksgiving Ceremony said, “The ceremony itself is thoughtful but stiff, containing passages that some may find awkward and contrived” . . . “The strongest reason for purchase will be the nearly 40 pages given to quotes, prayers and hymns appropriate to the day, culled from a wide variety of secular and religious sources”. . .

From the back cover, “It’s the first thing that’s new about Thanksgiving since the turkey.”

The ceremony, as written, is a bit stiff and may feel contrived. Still, the idea of a way for focus on why Thanksgiving is celebrated and to develop the attitude of gratitude is welcome. The ceremony is a well developed and is a useful framework for those who want a way to formalize reflection and gratitude at the Thanksgiving table.

Mr. Bleier spent 25 years thinking about the concept of the “deeper meaning of Thanksgiving for our ‘nation of immigrants.” (pg. 119). He says that Thanksgiving is the "only holiday centered on a meal that also incorporates all Americans of all religions and ethnic backgrounds." (pg. 53) While he pondered his concept, Bleier collected research information and kept it at the ready.

When he retired from Warner Bros., Bleier was ready to write The Thanksgiving Ceremony. Mr. Bleier used his 25 years of pre-writing time wisely. He incorporates reflection on the problem of hunger in the world today in the ceremony. He asks participants to think about the harvest festivals that have been celebrated for thousands of years, linking the past to the present.

Bleier is not a man who leans solely on looking at the past. At the end of the ceremony, he asks each participant to make a goal for the upcoming year and pledge to work on that goal. As Quincy Jones said, “This great country has provided the ‘music’ and this book provides the eloquent ‘lyrics’ for the Thanksgiving tables of all Americans, regardless of race or religion. It’s a joyous tribute to who we are, and can be, as Americans.”

Creating New Traditions for the Family Feast

Bleier offers diverse resource material to assist readers in developing a personalized ceremony. More blessings and reflections are available in Bless This Food. Families with young children may want to add Louisa May Alcott’s classic, An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving to the ceremony.

The Thanksgiving Ceremony is an excellent resource for families wanting a more reflective and meaningful Thanksgiving. Using Bleier’s ceremony as is or as a framework for customizing a ceremony, this book brings focus to the deeper meaning of Thanksgiving. The new traditions for the family feast are well worth investigating.

HOL101

The copyright of the article The Thanksgiving Ceremony by Edward Bleier in Lifestyle/Pop Culture Books is owned by Lynn Brogan. Permission to republish The Thanksgiving Ceremony by Edward Bleier in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.