Symbols of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving, like so many other holidays, is symbolized by objects that are related with it in some way. Thanksgiving tends to be connected with the Pilgrims and Native Americans, whose meal the holiday commemorates (badly). It is also connected with the autumn, because Thanksgiving falls in autumn. Objects that are related to the Pilgrims, Native Americans or autumn have come to be related to Thanksgiving as a result.Symbols of Thanksgiving: Pilgrim Hats and Native American HeadbandsAnyone who has done a Thanksgiving party or play in grade school knows that feathered Native American headbands and Pilgrim hats (made of construction paper) are the style of the holiday. Whether the Pilgrims and Native Americans wore attire like this during their historic meal is irrelevant. Americans have incorporated these headpieces into the Thanksgiving holiday for good or bad.Symbols of Thanksgiving: TurkeysHistorically, turkeys do not really signify much as far as Thanksgiving goes. Nonetheless, citizens of the United States have turned the turkey into a Thanksgiving must. You may even say that Thanksgiving is all about turkey. Some people look forward to their Thanksgiving turkey all day long. Unfortunately for this tasty animal, being a symbol of Thanksgiving sometimes means that you and your cousins are slaughtered by the thousands, probably even the millions, every November.Symbols of Thanksgiving: CornucopiasCornucopias are symbols of food dating back much farther than the first Thanksgiving feast. Nonetheless, they are displayed on tables across the United States on Thanksgiving. They are also pictured on cardboard cutouts in schools across the United States. More often than not, they are wicker, horn-shaped baskets that get filled with a variety of things. You can fill them with flowers, squashes, breads or whatever else you can think of.Symbols of Thanksgiving: SquashesSquash are autumnal vegetables. Therefore, they often accompany the Thanksgiving entree and desserts. People use them as centerpieces for their Thanksgiving table setting as well. The pumpkin arguably represents Halloween, but it represents Thanksgiving as well. Halloween is about desiccating and smashing pumpkins. Thanksgiving is about adding spices to pumpkins and turning them into delicious cuisine.All of these things and feasts have come to represent Thanksgiving. When people see them, they are reminded of delicious tastes and smells. It may also remind them of cramped Thanksgiving tables and family members they are glad to see the back of by the end of the day.
