St. Augustine Florida Visit during the Thanksgiving Holiday ‘Nights of Lights’
What is a celebration of Thanksgiving Day in the United States
Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2019 occurs on Thursday, November 28. In 1621, the Plymouth colonist and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest fest that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states.
The English settlers looking for land and prosperity.
In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England the ship was carrying one hundred and two passengers. The passenger list included religious separatists seeking a new world where they could freely practice their faith and other passengers were influenced by the promise of land ownership and prosperity that this New World had to offer.
After a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cap Cod, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims, as they are now commonly known, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth.
In 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon of Spain discovered the cost of Florida from Mosquito inlet to Charlotte Harbor, He left Puerto Rico on March 4 and arrived on the Florida coast on April 2, 1513, with three ships, the Santiago, the San Cristobal, and the Santa Maria de la Consolacion. He named his discovery La Florida, in honor of the Easter season and the Spanish festival of flowers (Pascua Florida).
St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest continuously occupied European-establishment settlement and port in the continental United States. It was established 55 years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, 43 years before the Spanish settlement at Sante Fe, New Mexico and 42 years before the English established their colony at Jamestown, Virginia.
A new and exciting way to celebrate the new world and old as one.
Nights of Lights celebration, in St. Augustine traces its origins back to the traditional Spanish practice of displaying a white candle in windows during the Christmas holidays. Candles in the window allude to the fact that Mary and Joseph could find no Inn that would give them shelter. When the Spanish put candles in their windows, they were symbolically making room in their homes and hearts for The Most High.
It also reflects the welcoming attitude of the holiday season, showing that guests are welcome to their homes. The stunning lights reflect the city’s over 450-year history and illuminate the beautiful cityscape for lasting holiday memories.
The city of St. Augustine has been celebrating this event for 26 years.
This festival is held every night from November 23rdthrough February 2, 2020, so this festival cover all the holidays over this period.
Here at WA, we have a lot to be thankful and we show it each day by sharing, teaching and uplifting our brother and sister members here.
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Informative post, Clifford--I learned a few things I didn't know before! Thanks for sharing!
Jeff
hey Jeff, you're welcome through the years i've learned no man or woman is an island so researching and sharing is great.
Very interesting. I did not know that about St. Augustine. What a lovely tradition.
Have a blessed weekend
Charlotte
Hello Charlotte, I am glad you liked the post, I thought it would be nice to research and share where I grew up as a child.
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This is a wonderful record keeping. Many thanks for sharing your knowledge here.
In WA we have our white candles permanently lit as we continue to help one another.
Hopefully we will all achieve our goals.
Segun
Hello Segun, thanks for the nice commit and yes together here at WA we will do great things