Myths and rituals of Thanksgiving.

From an anthropologist's view, Thanksgiving is more than parades, turkey and football. It's part of how we use myth and ritual to understand our origins as Americans. "Thanksgiving presents a picture of two separate, but equal peoples--Indians and Europeans--sitting down together in a celebration," notes Phyllis Chock, associate professor of anthropology, The Catholic University of America. "The myth erases a lot of painful history and presents a romantic, wishful picture of who we are and what we want to be."

Conflicts and tensions still are part of a diverse American society, but re-creating the first Thanksgiving allows us to picture our country as "many different elements of the melting pot, living in harmony"

The myth is enacted through three central rituals of Thanksgiving, Chock explains. Women are charged with "kin-keeping," performing the central tasks of preparing the meal and gathering the family "At best, men perform a helper's role, and the key ritual--the meal--is scheduled around football games."

The ritual is perpetuated by mass culture, including greeting cards, advertising, newspapers, and television. The football games and national parades dramatically show how the holiday has been shaped by the media...