Thanksgiving is a widely celebrated holiday in America, where families gather to give thanks and share a meal together. However, there is a debate surrounding the origins of Thanksgiving and whether or not it is linked to pagan traditions. One argument states that Thanksgiving has its roots in ancient harvest festivals celebrated by pagan societies. These festivals were held to honor and give thanks to the gods for a bountiful harvest. Some similarities have been drawn between these ancient celebrations and modern-day Thanksgiving, such as the focus on gratitude and abundance of food. Supporters of this theory often point to the fact that the timing of Thanksgiving, which falls in late November, coincides with harvest festivals celebrated by various pagan cultures around the world.
There’s nothing truly spectacular about these decks that makes them deserving of that amount of money. We’d urge you not to spend your money on them, because you’d be getting ripped off. If each deck included a couple of shock lands or fetch lands maybe they’d be worthy of the hefty investment, but they don’t. They’re just normal Commander decks with a theoretically higher value due to being in the Commander Masters set, but this doesn’t really come through in the decks themselves.
While we d just love to talk about all of these positive things in Commander Masters, it d be incredibly unethical of us to do so because the price point on this set and its new decks is simply untenable. Planeswalker commanders Nahiri, the Lithomancer Teferi, Temporal Archmage Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath Daretti, Scrap Savant Freyalise, Llanowar s Fury Five rare monocolored planeswalkers that can be used as your commander.
Supporters of this theory often point to the fact that the timing of Thanksgiving, which falls in late November, coincides with harvest festivals celebrated by various pagan cultures around the world. They argue that the adoption of Thanksgiving by early American settlers was a way to assimilate and adopt the traditions of the native people they encountered. Another piece of evidence used to support the pagan origins of Thanksgiving is the inclusion of certain symbols and practices associated with ancient harvest festivals.
Commander Masters Spoiler
Each Commander Masters Draft Booster contains 20 cards and 1 double-sided token, including 2–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher (3: 36%; 4: 3%), 5–7 Uncommon, and 11–12 Common cards. Traditional Foil Borderless Mythic in
Set Booster
Collector Booster
Each Commander Masters Collector Booster contains 15 Magic: The Gathering cards and 1 Traditional Foil double-sided token, with a combination of 5 cards of rarity Rare or higher and 2–5 Uncommon, 4–7 Common, and 1 Land cards.
Collector booster-exclusive treatments—Collector Boosters are the only boosters where you'll find Extended-Art, Foil-Etched, and possible Textured Foil treatment cards
5 Borderless cards in every pack—every pack contains 5 Borderless cards, 1 of which may be a Textured Foil Borderless Rare or Mythic Rare card destined for a starring role in your collection
Packed full of Rares & Foils—each booster contains a total of 9–11 Traditional Foil cards, 1 Foil-Etched card, a possible Textured Foil Borderless card (1 in 25% of packs), and a total of 5 cards of rarity Rare or higher
Commander Decks
Each Commander Masters Commander Deck set includes 1 ready-to-play deck of 100 Magic cards (2 Traditional Foil Legendary Creature cards, 98 nonfoil cards), a 2-card Collector Booster Sample Pack, 1 foil-etched Display Commander (a thick cardstock copy of the commander card with foil etched into the card’s border and art), 10 double-sided tokens, 1 deck box (can hold 100 sleeved cards), 1 Life Wheel, 1 strategy insert, and 1 reference card.
Each Commander deck also introduces 10 never-before-seen Magic: The Gathering cards.
Release Date: August 4, 2023.
For example, the use of cornucopias, which were originally used in pagan rituals as a symbol of abundance and fertility, is a common feature in Thanksgiving decorations. Despite these arguments, the majority of historians and scholars agree that Thanksgiving is primarily a Christian holiday with a strong influence from the Protestant Reformation. The first official Thanksgiving in America was celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621 as a religious observance, rather than a pagan-inspired festival. Furthermore, the tradition of giving thanks and celebrating harvests is not exclusive to pagan cultures. Many religious and cultural groups have long-standing traditions of giving thanks for the blessings of the year, regardless of any pagan influences. In conclusion, while there is some debate about the pagan origins of Thanksgiving, the general consensus is that it is primarily a Christian holiday with influences from various cultural practices. The focus on gratitude, abundance, and coming together as families and communities to give thanks is a universal human experience, deeply rooted in our shared history and traditions..
Reviews for "Thanksgiving and Paganism: A Complex Relationship"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - While I appreciate the research that went into this article, I personally didn't enjoy it. I feel like the author was reaching to make a connection between Thanksgiving and pagan traditions. The arguments presented were weak and lacked depth. I would have preferred a more balanced approach, exploring both sides of the argument rather than trying to prove a specific point.
2. John - 1 star - I found this article to be quite misleading and unconvincing. The author seems to be grasping at straws in attempting to link Thanksgiving to pagan traditions. The evidence provided is flimsy and doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Overall, I'm disappointed with the lack of substance in this piece and would not recommend it to others.
3. Emily - 2 stars - I was excited to read about the potential link between Thanksgiving and pagan traditions, but unfortunately, this article fell short of my expectations. The argumentation was weak and the evidence presented was largely speculative. I would have preferred a more thorough exploration of the topic, backed by stronger evidence and analysis. Overall, this article left me unsatisfied and questioning the validity of the claims made.
4. Mark - 1 star - This article reads more like a conspiracy theory than a well-researched piece. The author's attempt to link Thanksgiving to pagan traditions is unconvincing and lacks credibility. The arguments presented are based on cherry-picked evidence and do not consider the historical context adequately. I would caution readers to approach this article with skepticism and seek out more reliable sources for information on the subject.