thanksgiving
thanksgiving!
You probably heard that our Thanksgiving feast came about on a cold November day, when the Native Americans and newly-arrived English colonists got together and broke bread (or, sliced turkey, as the case may be!) While your history teacher was technically right, there's probably a whole bunch about the history of Thanksgiving that you don't know about!
The Native Americans didn't just spontaneously decide to have a big feast when they met the Colonists. Instead, the Thanksgiving celebration was something that the Cherokees, the Pueblos, and a number of many other tribes had been doing for centuries. Each year, they would sit down to their bountiful harvest and give thanks for it. Their celebration wasn't just limited to eating, though. It also included dances and a number of other festivities.
But since so many of our traditions stem from the meal that the Native Americans shared with the Colonists, we'll focus on that. Did you know there are a lot of misconceptions about that meal - particularly what was on the menu?
thanksgiving!
Today, we love turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and the rest of the trimmings, but that's not quite what was eaten at the Colonists' first Thanksgiving. Instead, they feasted on wild birds like goose, duck, swan, eagles, and crane. Along with that wild fowl, venison played a big role in the meal. Some turkey was probably mixed in, but it wasn't the star of the show like it is today.
How do we know that?
There has actually been extensive research into the Colonists' first Thanksgiving. Thanks to hard-working researchers, we know that venison and wild birds were the most common main courses during that time period. Turkey's popularity at Thanksgiving came later.
What about the rest of the meal?
Since the Colonists didn't have access to sugar, there was no cranberry sauce. And, since they didn't have any milk products, there were not any pumpkin pies being passed around the table. Even potatoes were a rarity back then - so those yummy mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes that we all love didn't come along for quite awhile.
In fact, back in those days, people didn't incorporate a ton of side dishes into their meals - Thanksgiving included. They had a few different vegetables, but the main focus was a variety of meats. In addition to the venison and wild birds, the Colonists may also have had their fill of eel, lobster, seal, cod, and clams.
thanksgiving!
And instead of preparing everything in a nice, warm kitchen with a football game on in the next room, the Colonists' first Thanksgiving was a little different. Here's how Edward Winslow described the day, as published in "A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth" back in 1621:
"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, among other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed upon our governor, and upon the captain, and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."
No matter where you're spending this Thanksgiving, hopefully it will be "far from want". Regardless of what's on your menu, never lose sight of the spirit of the day - to give thanks for all of the many blessings you've had over the past year!
