Qu'est-ce que Thanksgiving?

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Wednesday, November 22nd.

This is WORLD Radio and we thank you for listening. Good morning! I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

This week on Concurrently: The News Coach Podcast, Kelsey Reed and Jonathan Boes tackle the question: Are parents failing to prepare their kids to flourish in the adult world? Or is the modern world simply not designed for human flourishing? Here’s a short preview:

JONATHAN BOES: Kind of our guiding term here, and what drew me to this whole subject is the term human flourishing. And that's a broad term. And I think to some people, if you're not familiar with it, it might sound kind of clinical, because whenever you refer to people as humans, that can sound kind of clinical. But this is, I think, an important term to unpack. You see it a lot in Christian circles, but even outside of Christian circles. You can add color to this definition as well, Kelsey, but I would define human flourishing broadly as this whole person thriving of people that encompasses spiritual health, emotional health, physical health of both individuals and people living together in community, just kind of an overarching vision of what is good for humans living in the here and now.

KELSEY REED: I have to just say, first off, amen. You're speaking educational speak when you talk about whole person, that we're not talking about just what does it mean for us to do what we're supposed to do? It's not just this utilitarian thought about we're, you know, human bodies that need to get plugged into as cogs into a work grind. We're not just gears and a process of some pragmatic machine. We aren't machines.

EICHER: You can hear the entire episode of Concurrently today wherever you get your podcasts. And find out more at concurrentlypodcast.com.

REICHARD: Coming next on The World and Everything in It: A look at Thanksgiving from Europe.

American holidays are viewed around the world through the lens of movies, such as A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, or even Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. These movies give people from other countries an impression of a holiday focused on strange foods…but leave out the history and point of the holiday.

EICHER: WORLD Europe reporter Jenny Lind Schmitt recently had a chance to share some American Thanksgiving traditions with a group of school children in France. Let’s hear how things went.

SOUND: [Rain]

JENNY LIND SCHMITT, REPORTER: It’s a drizzly Saturday afternoon in Etupes, France. A perfect day to stay inside and talk about Thanksgiving.

SOUND: [Kids playing games]

30 kids between 6 and 11 years old trickle into the Eglise Action Biblique evangelical church. In the main hall, chairs are pushed out of the way and middle-school aged helpers are leading games and getting the newcomers involved.

This is Bulles de Vie, a club where kids play games, do fun activities, and learn about Jesus. This year the theme is Echappees Bulles. It’s a spin on a popular current TV show that takes viewers to different countries and cultures. Fanny Monnier leads the team that organizes the once-a-month gatherings.

FANNY: Cette année on a demande des personnes de l'église de venir chaque fois qqun different présenter leur pays, pour faire découvrir aux enfants, pour faire des jeux, pour manger un goûter en rapport avec pays, pour decouvrir d’autre chose que ce qu’on puisse entendre sur ces pays, un peu cliché.

[TRANSLATION: This year we’ve asked people in the church who come from abroad to introduce their country to the kids, teach them a typical game, to eat something typical from their country. The idea is to help kids discover something beyond the stereotypes we hear about other countries.]

The goal is for kids from the church to invite unchurched friends to come along. Many kids in France have never even been inside a church, much less have heard about Jesus. The start of the day involves a Bible story and introduction to Him. Then it’s time for the show.

AUDIO: [Fanny talking, applause]

The front of the church is staged to look like a television set.

AUDIO: [Laughing]

Fanny plays the show’s host, and helpers hold up signs telling the “studio audience” when to laugh and applaud and be silent.

SOUND: [Applause, theme music]

Then it’s time to discover this month’s destination. Last month, a woman presented her home country of Italy.

And this month…well, it’s me!

JENNY LIND SCHMITT: Moi Je m’appelle Jenny. Je viens des Etats Unis.

And since it’s November, Fanny asked me to tell the kids about Thanksgiving.

SCHMITT: Est ce qu’il y a qq’un qui a déjà entendu de Thanksgiving?

Most Europeans know vaguely about Thanksgiving. They’ve seen scenes of huge turkeys and family gatherings in TV shows and films, but they don’t really know what it’s all about, and why we’re supposed to be thankful.

To tell the story of the first Thanksgiving, some of the helpers dress up as the Pilgrims, or “pelerins” in French, with white neckerchiefs and bonnets. The other helpers put feathers in headbands to represent “les indiens”—the Native Americans of the Wampanoag tribe.

SCHMITT: Un groupe d' hommes et de femmes venus d’Angleterre sont embarqués dans un navire nommé The Mayflower. On les appelait les pelerins…Pilgrims.

KIDS: Hello!

They act out the story as it's told, from leaving England in search of religious freedom, seasickness on the Mayflower,

AUDIO: [Kids making vomiting sounds]

to half of the Pilgrims dying of cold and starvation the first winter.

AUDIO: [Kids making whooping sounds]

At the darkest hour, the group dressed as Native Americans bring food sent by Chief Massasoit, and Squanto shows the Pilgrims how to grow crops in the new land. And at last, the Pilgrims invite the tribe to feast with them in thanks to God for His provision.

AUDIO: Merci pour ma famille et mon lapin.

To help the kids learn thankfulness in their own context, Fanny has prepared cut out paper leaves. The kids write on them what they are thankful for.

AUDIO: Que je vais aller dormir chez Mamie.

One girl is thankful for her family and her rabbit. Another is thankful she gets to spend the night at Grandma’s house.

AUDIO: Moi je vais écrire parce qu’il n’y pas de guerre chez nous.

Matthieu writes that he is thankful that there isn’t a war here. Another boy is thankful that he might get a GoPro for Christmas.

The kids stick the leaves onto bare branches set up at the back of the room to make a colorful Thankfulness Tree.

AUDIO: [Kid counting in French, yelling]

After a quick break for le Football Americain, the kids come back inside. They are excited to try American treats! The chocolate chip cookies are a big hit. But when I pass with the tray of trial-sized bites of pumpkin pie, most of them eye it suspiciously. They shake their heads no.

SCHMITT: Qui c’est qui est courageux? Pas moi.

For the French, pumpkin definitely belongs to the category of savory dishes. The idea of adding sugar and cinnamon to it makes people recoil in disgust.

AUDIO: [Sound of snack time]

But a few brave souls are up for the challenge. They take a bite—and their eyes grow wide.

AUDIO: c’est super bon! J’aime beaucoup moi. Toi, t’as gouté? J’aime bien. Oui, c’est super bon.

Almost all who try the pumpkin pie agree that it’s good. Different, but good.

Over by the Thankfulness Tree, I find two of the helpers. They’re both 12. Old enough to have seen the movies with the turkeys and the football games. But now that they know a little more about the story of Thanksgiving, and the One we’re saying ‘thank you’ to, I ask what they will remember.

BOY 1: Thanksgiving est une fête très ancienne pour dire merci à Dieu parce qu'il a pris soin des pèlerins….qui viennent de…France? Pèlerins anglais. Qu'il les a gardés pendant leur voyage. Et depuis pour se rappeler ce que Dieu a fait, on on le remercie.

[TRANSLATION: Thanksgiving is a very old holiday to say thank you to God because he took care of the pilgrims, who came from France? English Pilgrims. Because He kept them safe on their voyage. And since then to remember what God did, we thank him.]

BOY 2: Je retiens que c'est Dieu qui a gardé les matelots anglais pour aller en Amérique dans leur voyage. Et que les Indiens les ont aidés. Et du coup pour le remercier, ils le fêtent tous les ans.

[TRANSLATION: I’ll remember that it was God who kept the English safe when they went to America. And the Indians helped them. And so, to thank Him, they celebrate this every year.]

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Jenny Lind Schmitt in Etupes, France.

Happy Thanksgiving!

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.