A Wonderful Thanksgiving Tradition

Five Kernels of Corn

The Pilgrims' hardships didn't end after the first year and the great harvest feast.  In fact, the next year was even more difficult.  

During this time of near starvation, it got so bad that on some days the Pilgrims were rationed only five kernels of corn.

But they continued to put their trust in God.  

They made it through their trials without becoming bitter, and today, their times of greatest hardship inspire us as we face our challenges.

Many Thanksgiving celebrations include five kernels of corn in remembrance of the Pilgrims' faith and fortitude.  Five kernels of dried corn are placed by each place.  After everyone is seated (it can be before, during, or after the meal), a special container is passed around the table.  Each person shares something they are thankful for as they place a kernel into the container.  The container is passed until all the kernels are collected and each person has been able to share five things.   

Families love this tradition!  It gives everyone a special time to remember and be grateful for the many blessings of the year.  

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FIVE KERNELS OF CORN               by Hezekiah Butterworth

'Twas the year of the famine in Plymouth of old,
The ice and the snow from the thatched roofs had rolled;
Through the warm purple skies steered the geese o'er the seas,
And the woodpeckers tapped in the clocks of the trees;
And the boughs on the slopes to the south winds lay bare,
and dreaming of summer, the buds swelled in the air.
The pale Pilgrims welcomed each reddening morn;
There were left but for rations Five Kernels of Corn.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
But to Bradford a feast were Five Kernels of Corn!

"Five Kernels of Corn! Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye people, be glad for Five Kernels of Corn!"
So Bradford cried out on bleak Burial Hill,
And the thin women stood in their doors, white and still.
"Lo, the harbor of Plymouth rolls bright in the Spring,
The maples grow red, and the wood robins sing,
The west wind is blowing, and fading the snow,
And the pleasant pines sing, and arbutuses blow.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
To each one be given Five Kernels of Corn!"

O Bradford of Austerfield hast on thy way,
The west winds are blowing o'er Provincetown Bay,
The white avens bloom, but the pine domes are chill,
And new graves have furrowed Precisioners' Hill!
"Give thanks, all ye people, the warm skies have come,
The hilltops are sunny, and green grows the holm,
And the trumpets of winds, and the white March is gone,
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye have for Thanksgiving Five Kernels of Corn!

"The raven's gift eat and be humble and pray,
A new light is breaking and Truth leads your way;
One taper a thousand shall kindle; rejoice
That to you has been given the wilderness voice!"
O Bradford of Austerfield, daring the wave,
And safe through the sounding blasts leading the brave,
Of deeds such as thine was the free nation born,
And the festal world sings the "Five Kernels of Corn."
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
The nation gives thanks for Five Kernels of Corn!

To the Thanksgiving Feast bring Five Kernels of Corn!