Thanksgiving 9 Little Known facts

When I think of thanksgiving, my memories begin at my grandparents whitewashed brick home in he suburbs of Detroit. The traditional turkey, dressing, cranberry gel, mashed potatoes, gravy, and pumpkin pie were always there in abundance..  Somehow I always got a drumstick on my plate back then.

Thanksgiving celebrations actually have long and varied history. Below are 10 facts about thanksgiving feasts that may surprise you.

1) Thanksgiving feasts were not begun by the pilgrims of the Mayflower. Thanksgiving feasts are a tradition that goes back thousands of years. These celebrations were usually the result of celebrating the harvest or a military victory and would be declared by a governing body or group of people at various times of the year and often several times in the same year. these celebrations were celebrated in Europe, Africa, Middle East as well as in America by local native tribes before the pilgrims first celebration  in 1621 Spanish explorers in the New World had celebrations 1500's.

2) The first Thanksgiving recorded at the Plymouth Plantation group from the Mayflower lasted 3 days and most of the participants were native Indians (56 colonists and 91 Indians). According to written records the Indian tribes of the area were instrumental in helping the pilgrims survive and have a good harvest.

3)  Many items currently served at Thanksgiving dinner were not part of the first Thanksgiving meals at Plymouth Plantation. Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes , bread based stuffing, bread, cookies, crackers, cake. milk, cream, cheese, butter, cranberries, anything made with sugar, and pumpkin pie were not on the first Thanksgiving menu. None of these items were available at the time. Wild turkey, ducks, geese and swans. Herbs, onions or nuts might have been added to the birds for extra flavor. Five deer were contributed by the local Indians. Deer was roasted on a spit over a smoldering fire and that the colonists might have used some of the venison to whip up a hearty stew. Onions, beans, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots and perhaps peas corn, blueberries, plums, grapes, gooseberries, raspberries may also have been at the table. Mussels, lobster, bass, clams and oysters might also have been part of the feast. Pumpkins and other squashes were available for roasting eating with honey.

4) George Washington, our first president,  proclaimed Thanksgiving as a National Holiday for November 25th in 1789. Many local communities, colonies and states declared and celebrated a"A Day of Thanksgiving on different days. Thanksgiving was declared annually as a National Holiday as the 4th Thursday of November, and for some years, it was the 5th Thursday as some years had 5 Thursdays in November. A few states celebrated on the 3rd Thursday in November.


5) Abraham Lincoln unified the lastThursday in November for all states.  This proclamation was done in 1863 in the middle of the Civil War. Several states in the north were continuing to celebrate Thanksgiving on different dates.

6) Franklin Roosevelt declared the 4th Thursday must be the national holiday of Thanksgiving. In the height of the depression making Thanksgiving the 4th Thursday had helped businesses begin the Christmas shopping season as early as possible.  At this time in history, it was not proper to begin advertising Christmas goods and sales before Thanksgiving.

7) Thanksgiving Day Parades did not start with Macy's in New York. The first official Thanksgiving Day Parade was started in 1920 in Philadelphia sponsored by Gimbel's Department Store. It is the oldest running Thanksgiving Day Parade in the country featuring floats, bands, and giant balloons. Both Macy's  of New York and Hudson's of Detroit started in 1924. Prior to any official parades, many people would dress up and wander the streets in their communities on Thanksgiving greeting people.


8)  Football on Thanksgiving did not start with the National Football League. Hundreds of Thanksgiving day games had already been played on Thanksgiving prior to the National
Football League's first Thanksgiving Day game in 1920.game The very first Thanksgiving Day football game took place between Rutgers and Princeton in Philadelphia in 1869. Detroit Lions became a host traditional team for Thanksgiving games in 1934. Dallas became one in 1966, and in 2006 a rotating evening game has been added.

9)  Black Friday has not always meant the first day of profitability for retail stores.  One other version of Black Friday refer to  a post Thanksgiving sale of  African slaves in Southern States in the 1800's. Another version refers to the pandemonium of shoppers pickpockets, and thieves descending on Philadelphia for the start of the discounted shopping season in the 1950's. A third version of Black Friday relates the crash of the gold market of September 24 1869 caused be 2 speculators buying up all of the gold reserves leading to a collapse of Wall Street investments and a depression. Black friday now actually now starts on Thursday and lasts till Cyber Monday 4 days later. Actually the Saturday before Christmas is the most profitable day for merchants.

All of us at Crystal Lake Dental Associates wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving and Holiday Season.

Call for an appointment 815 459 2292

Dr Neal and his team answers all of your questions regarding your dental health at Crystal Lake Dental Associates.

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