The Pilgrims

It's amazing how a simple holiday of a simple people that was never annually reproduced has seen the birth of perhaps millions of American family traditions. The Pilgrims were some of the first, and undoubtedly the most famous of the settlers in America. They sailed from Plymouth, England to the Netherlands to what is now Massachusetts to seek religious asylum. They called themselves seperatists, wanting to be seperate from England. Many died quickly, but over the winter, they developed a friendship with Native Americans which helped them endure the hard winter. When the harvest came, they celebrated it with a famous feast, the first Thanksgiving.

This is a basic seven year old knowledge of the pilgrims, but is all one needs to know. Thanksgiving is celebrated simply as a rememberance of this and a thanks for what you have by squandering it all on a big meal. Although in a more modern sense, this holiday is used as an excuse to eat as much as you can.

The First Thanksgiving

The First Thanksgiving Foods

The first Thanksgiving was said to have many meat foods, such as duck, venison and goose meat. Surprisingly, it is not known if the colonists enjoyed the traditional focal point of this holiday, turkey during the feast, as they would have used the term turkey to describe any bird of this sort. Some other meats included fish, lobster and clams.

Another traditional food that was not necessarily eaten then was a farmiliar Thanksgiving staple, Pumpkin Pie. It is quite unlikely for a colonist to have made the pie because no bread or pastries could have been baked due to a low flour supply. There was also no cider, butter or even potatoes as they were thought to be poisonous.

The First Thanksgivings History

Though the holiday in 1621 was an important piece of Pilgrim history, it was not repeated the following year. They eventually gathered for a prayer for rain two years after the traditional first one. Then, after a period of Thanksgivinglessness for about half of a century, in 1676 another day was proclaimed.

On that June 1676, a new community adopted this tradition. Charleston Massachusetts celebrated an official Thanksgiving. This celebration was without natives, as this celebration, though after the colonys prosperity, was directly instituted due to a victory over the Heathen Tribe.

The first widespread Thanksgiving took the form of a celebration of the defeat of the British in the battle of Saratoga. The thirteen American colonies celebrated this in October 1777. George Washington proclaimed the holiday first in 1789, but it met with some opposition, and it wasn't until fifteen presidents later, Abraham Lincoln, that it was finally recognized as a day of thanks on the last Thursday of November in 1863. The dates have been changed over the years, but is now on its original date.

Modern Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is celebrated as the day of thanks for what we have recieved. It is still modeled after the Pilgrims, although because of criticism that the Pilgrim suffering didn't warrant a national holiday, they decided on the theme of thanks.

More current Thanksgiving dinners involve a gathering of families with various older, less brand name foods. For instance, yams would replace Oreos. It's common for American grandmothers and older people to bake the more traditional meals, as Thanksgiving is the only real sanctuary for family since the emergence of more and more dysfunctional families. It's amazing how this tradition has sustained while relatives see each other less and less often in America.

Thanksgiving also marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Christmas sales often start the days around it. This fact is so established amongst American society that President Franklin Delano Rooselvelt changed the date for a longer holiday shopping season, although it was quickly changed back.

The symbols and signs of Thanksgiving are mostly relating to the Pilgrims and Turkeys. It is not entirely unlikely to see a turkey in a Pilgrim costume. Also, another recurring picture of this holiday is a cornucopia, which symbolizes the plenty and bountiful harvest of the Pilgrims, and what one is thankful for.