The Thanksgiving holiday of today is a far cry from where things started in the autumn of 1621. Of course there is the dramatic and sometimes distasteful money-driven “Black Thursday, Friday, Following Monday” but it is also vastly different in so many other ways. The Native Americans and pilgrims had a 3-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest but it is uncertain that it led to what is Modern Day Thanksgiving…or, what it should be. What we know as Thanksgiving was most likely born in 1863, under the leadership of Abraham Lincoln. That year, he became the first U.S. President to proclaim “Thanksgiving Day,” which became a national fixture in American homes ever since. Nonetheless, most American children are taught that the first Thanksgiving dates back to that feast in 1621.
A few facts about the feast and our staples on the Thanksgiving table:
- Governor William Bradford sent “four men fowling” for wild geese. Though it is not known if wild turkey* was part of the feast, venison definitely was. (*Turkey was coined by the pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl.
- It is highly unlikely that pumpkin pie was shared between the pilgrims and Native Americans. The supply of flour had long been diminished in the period between landing at Plymouth Rock (1620) and the “Thanksgiving” feast. Therefore there would be no breads or pastries of any kind. They did have boiled pumpkin and a makeshift fried bread made of corn, which was bountiful.
- The feast included: fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, venison, clams, and plums.
- This "thanksgiving" feast was not repeated the following year. Many years passed before the event was repeated. It wasn't until June of 1676 that another Day of thanksgiving was proclaimed. On June 20 of that year the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established.
Whatever was on the table, giving thanks was at its core. Politics about political correctness aside, do we need a reason to give thanks? Shop until you drop! You earned the money, so you’ve earned the right. But, don’t forget to take a minute to reflect on your bountiful harvest, too.
