The Puritans who were aboard the vessel were a strange group, killjoys in many ways, not allowing jollification or feasting and forbid celebrating Christmas and suchlike. England at that time was fairly easy-going under a Protestant monarch, which went against this sect's beliefs. (Life was very different here from the previous Catholic regime that went as far as to ban eating meat on Fridays, a crime punishable by beheading.)
So when you are tucking into your Thanksgiving feast tomorrow spare a thought for those frugal Puritans looking down at you with disdain. But it's ironical that the Mayflower was loaded with many thousands of gallons of both wine and beer for the trip!
But wait, there existed at that time a thriving settlement of normal English down the coast at Jamestown on Chesapeake Bay. So let's say that the limelight that the Puritans have gathered is somewhat misplaced.
Bob Taylor
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