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<\/a><\/span>At least this is the hypothesis put forth by Richard Salva — a minister, yoga student, and self-acclaimed reincarnation expert — in his book Soul Journey: From Lincoln to Lindbergh<\/i>.<\/a> Salva bases the work on a statement by Hindu teacher Paramahamsa Yogananda<\/a> that Lincoln was, in a previous life, a yogi in the Himalayas, then took birth as Abraham Lincoln, and later reincarnated as aviator Charles Lindbergh.<\/p>\n(Interesting tangent: Some believe that yogi\/Lincoln has reincarnated yet again, as… wait for it …. President Barack Obama. Salva, though, is skeptical of this claim<\/a>.)<\/p>\n So what does any of this have to do with Thanksgiving? Hindu blogger Subhamoy Das explores the subtle connection in a piece on Salva and the Thanksgiving-has-Hindu-roots claim<\/a>:<\/p>\n Lincoln delivered a proclamation “During my search for signs of a past-life yoga practice,” Salva <\/p>\n <\/p>\n With due respects to both Das and Salva, I am a bit underwhelmed by (Lincoln’s As much of a stretch as the Lincoln-Thursday Other Hindu writers, though, Meanwhile, writing a Thanksgiving piece for our very own Beliefnet<\/a>, This year, it will be different. This year, I will decline all\n
\nestablishing Thanksgiving as an American holiday in 1863. Research
\nsheds light on a possible Hindu origin for the American celebration of
\nThanksgiving.
\n<\/i><\/p>\n
\nsaid, “I noticed that President Lincoln repeatedly chose Thursdays<\/b> as national
\ndays of prayer, fasting, and thanksgiving. This was interesting, because Thursday
\nis considered a holy day – a day for prayer, fasting, and spiritual reflection
\n– among Hindus, who call it ‘guru day.’<\/b>“<\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nthe claim. For starters, the logic seems cyclical: Lincoln was a a
\nreincarnated yogi, so he favored Thursdays; one of the signs of
\nLincoln’s past-life yoga practice was that he favored Thursdays. Hmmm.
\nIn addition, the idea that Thursday is somehow considered the holiest
\nday of the week for Hindus is an exaggeration at best; every day of the
\nweek is dedicated to different deities or planets, with prayer,
\nfasting, and spiritual reflection. And, of course, even if we accept
\nthe “yogi Lincoln favors Thursdays” idea, it is a jump (and we’re talking
\nthe Hanuman-jumping-to-Lanka variety of jumps) to go from there to the
\nfact that Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation “established Thanksgiving as an
\nAmerican holiday” on Thursdays to Thanksgiving having Hindu roots. <\/p>\n
\nproclamation didn’t establish the holiday as much as it did articulate
\nit as an annual celebration and standardize the date to be “the last
\nThursday of November”, noting that this should be marked as “a day of
\nThanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the
\nHeavens.”)<\/p>\n
\nconnection might be, though, Salva’s hypothesis does illustrate a need
\nthat some Hindus feel to connect with mainstream holidays and
\nnational observances like Thanksgiving. Nothing remedies the feeling of
\nbeing left-out of a holiday, quite like the knowledge that your people
\ncreated said holiday. “Thanksgiving? Yeah, we celebrate Thanksgiving.
\nHeck, we invented<\/i> it.” <\/p>\n![\"ShravanKumar.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/123\/import\/assets_c\/2009\/11\/ShravanKumar-thumb-150x226-9654.jpg\")
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\nhave used less esoteric means to connect the Thanksgiving holiday with
\ntheir faith. Taking Thanksgiving to represent a day to express
\ngratitude towards one’s parents, Dr. Pradeep Kapoor muses<\/a> on how the holiday resonates with one of Hindu lore’s heroes, the devoted son Shravan Kumar<\/a>. In her blog piece for the San Francisco Examiner, Sohoni Das writes along the same lines<\/a> — if Thanksgiving is a day defined by showing gratitude to one’s family and friends, well then its about as Hindu as can be.<\/p>\n
\nShoba Narayan takes a different track altogether. After confessing to
\nhaving “inflicted her Hindu sensibility and vegetarian sensitivity on
\nher American friends” in years past, Narayan resolves to “Hindu-ize”
\nthe holiday:<\/p>\n\n
\ninvitations that gracious friends extend to me in an effort to include
\nme in this holiday<\/a>.
\nThis year, I will set my own Thanksgiving table, complete with
\nvegetarian dishes, and invite all my Hindu friends and relatives to
\nshare in the celebration.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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