Monday, November 25, 2013

FlagRunners Thanksgiving Flag
Once again, it is the Week of Thanks. How will you be thanking? What will you be thanking about? For many, it is difficult to know where to start, but flag flyers are experts in the thank tank. It goes without saying, flag flyers are thankful and unapologetic. Thanksgiving is celebrated in many parts of the world. It is special to us because it earmarks the turning point of harvest and opportunity for the birth of a nation. Because flags are symbols, we thought we'd share some fun Thanksgiving facts. Here are 5 symbols which represent thanksgiving and their meanings...
1. Cornucopia
The Cornucopia is a horn shaped basket, filled with the bounty of harvest: fruits, grains, vegetables. It dates back to Greek times. Amathea a goat broke off his horn and offered it to the God Zeus as a sign of reverence. In return, Zeus set the image of the goat in the sky, now known as Capricorn. This is an exchange of gratitude and offering, thanks and giving.

2. Corn
Corn is believed to be the staple of the Native Americans before colonization. In order for colonization to be sustainable, Native Americans taught pilgrims to plant corn, which became a staple at the first Thanksgiving meal. To this day, corn is a major staple for our country. Corn is the largest produce grown in our country with 84 million acres of land. It is a $63.9 billion dollar yielding industry. Any guess on second place? Soy bean. Soybeans are grown in 73.8 million acres of land and yield $37.6 billion in crops. Corn is not only a symbol but to this day sits at the founding table of our country. (Numbers based on 2011).

3. Pumpkin
This is one of the strangest fruits as it grows out of a flower. Because it is an autumn fruit, it is considered a harvest food to represent bounty. Pumpkin pie has grown to be a staple at Thanksgiving meals. It is believed that the Native Americans from the first Thanksgiving represented the Pumpkin as Life Giving Son and also a symbol for man's personal power.

4. Beans
The American bean is sometimes referred to as the pole-bean. This is because Native Americans taught the Pilgrims to plant the beans next to the corn so the beans could grow up along the stalks. Beans are one of the "three sisters": Corn, beans, and squash. For centuries, it was believed the Native Americans practiced eating these foods in their regular diet. It turns out, this combination of foods has an optimal ratio of carbohydrates, rich proteins, and vitamins.

5. Cranberry
Cranberries became a staple food after the Pilgrims found mixing the fruit with brown sugar made for a very pleasant dessert. Originally called the Crane Berry this fruit plant reminded pilgrims of the Crane bird for it's pink blossoms with drooping head.

FlagRunners thought with Thanksgiving coming up, we might give a go at what the FlagRunners Thanksgiving Flag might look like. A good flag shows who you are and says what you want to say without actually saying it (with words that is). The basic rule stands to this day, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Why say a limited amount of words when you can show virtually an unlimited amount of words in an image.

While we think of the wars fought, or the bread broken with natives and pilgrims, Thanksgiving comes from the Days of Thanksgiving during the English Reformation. Special days coming from God were deemed "Days of Thanksgiving" while disasters and other tragedies were deemed as Days of Fasting. A yin-yang concept to combat the overwhelming number of Church holidays in England at the time. For pilgrims who had to forgo any normalcy of lifestyle or nourishment, I'm sure it was truly a Day of Thanksgiving when they were blessed with help from the natives.

It was truly a Day of Thanksgiving when Martin Frobisher navigated the stormy seas from England to Canada, to be allowed a passage to the new world. While for Canadians, Thanksgiving is about the voyage, Americans celebrate the union of two peoples.

Liberians celebrate Thanksgiving as a day when free blacks colonized Liberia. Many of these people had been slaves themselves. They celebrate the gift of freedom from American slavery. Whatever the reason, from it's roots to today, it really marks a Day of Thanksgiving.

For many flag flyers, flags don't stop with the American Flag. Flying flags of all types can be a fun way to bring in a holiday or season (Christmas Flag, Summer Flag, or Birthday Flag), show someone you are thinking of them (Charity Flag, Country Flags, or Military Flags), or send a message (Open House Flag, Sale Flag, Graduation Flag). One of the reasons to go with a commercial flagpole instead of a residential flagpole is so you can fly multiple flags on one flagpole. Flags are all about making a statement, showing you are proud.

To all you Americans, Canadians, and Liberians, we want to say Happy Thanksgiving! Make it a pleasant, reflective, and safe holiday.