ALT-1 Thanksgiving Facts
In the United States, the fourth Thursday of November is that blessed start of a four-day weekend in which we eat ourselves into a stupor and then watch football. Turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie are but a few of the traditional foods. Children act in plays of the "First Thanksgiving," complete with Pilgrims and Indians. However, there is a lot more to Thanksgiving than we generally know.
- The First Thanksgiving, the meal in 1621 between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians, was not the first Thanksgiving. Both Native American and European groups traditionally had feasts at the end of harvest season to give thanks for the season's bounty.
- The Pilgrims did not eat pumpkin pie. They did, however, eat venison and wild fowl on the "First" Thanksgiving. Although we're not sure what else they ate, we do know they consumed lobster, seal, eels, and swan. The Wampanoag also may have brought pemmican.
- George Washington, John Adams and James Madison all decreed days of thanksgiving and urged the people to celebrate. Some celebrations were for general fortune, others for specific events such as the adoption of the Constitution or the end of the War of 1812.
- Thanksgiving was designated the last Thursday of November in 1863 by President Lincoln. However, in 1939 President Roosevelt changed it to the fourth Thursday (instead of the occasional fifth) because retailers did not want a shortened holiday shopping season. This was extremely controversial, but in 1941 Congress finally (!) agreed.
- The day after Thanksgiving is known as "Black Friday" in the retail world. That's because stores (hopefully) go into the black, or profitable regions, on this day. This day is widely recognized as the first day of the holiday shopping season.
- Every year the President pardons a turkey from being executed. Well, eaten. In 2007, the two pardoned birds went to Disney World where they served as honorary grand marshals to the parade. Their names? May and Flower.
- Although the first NFL game to be played on Thanksgiving was in 1934 between the Bears and Lions, the first football game to be played on that day was in 1876. The Lions now traditionally play every Thanksgiving.
- The traditional Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade starts at 9 am EST on Thanksgiving, a tradition that goes back to 1924. It is a three-hour long parade that originally featured real animals, but now has huge balloon animals instead. The parade was suspended from 1942 through 1945, since the rubber and helium were needed for the war effort.
- In Canada, Thanksgiving is held the second Monday of October. This is (obviously) not as good as the American version because it means only a three-day weekend.
So, when you eat that turkey (which does contain tryptophan, which does cause sleepiness) and that pumpkin pie on the fourth Thursday of November this year, or whenever you celebrate the season, enjoy the traditions, whether they be 400 years old or just thought up this year.
Resources:http://www.history.com/content/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-quiz
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_%28United_States%29
