Every year, the anniversary of the first pilgrims landing on the shores of North America is observed on Forefathers’ Day on December 22 (unless it occurs on a Sunday, in which case Forefathers’ Day is celebrated on December 23).
Although the forefathers landed in America on December 21, the anniversary was accidentally marked as December 22 when the Gregorian calendar was adopted.
It is definitely worth celebrating the journey of the first pilgrims who sailed across the ocean in search of a better life and ultimately launched one of the superpower countries of the world.
Few things are more important to Americans than heritage.
Remembering where you come from, and how hard you’ve worked to get where you are, are all integral parts of the concept of the American dream.
It is a story as heroic as any classic tale in literature. The story of the nation’s brave forefathers who escaped economic limitations, unemployment, and religious persecution in search of freedom and preservation of their cultural identity.
Sailing into the unknown with the hope of a new world, the pilgrim forefathers boarded the Mayflower and Speedwell to journey to the U.S. Due to issues and leakage, the passengers in the Speedwell were squeezed into the Mayflower. Risky as it was, the Mayflower shored at Plymouth Rock on December 21, 1620. And thus, America was discovered.
Seven descendants from the Mayflower founded the Old Colony Club in 1769 to proudly honor the bravery of their forefathers and to commemorate the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers. Forefathers’ Day has been observed every year since, rising in popularity as the years went on.
By 1880, people from all over the country participated enthusiastically in the observance of Forefathers’ Day. From Los Angeles to New England, and organizations to churches, the holiday is commemorated with meetings, formal dinners, and speeches highlighting the historical significance of the pilgrims and their accomplishments.
However, after the Civil War ended and President Abraham Lincoln announced the official day for celebrating Thanksgiving, Forefathers’ Day annual celebrations took a fall. So much so, that by the 1900s the holiday was altogether merged with Thanksgiving. Among all the regions across the country, only Plymouth continues to pay tribute to its history and the forefathers, without whom there would be no America.
