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8 things you might not know about Thanksgiving Did you know that pilgrims didn't actually wear buckled hats. Buckles didn't become fashionable until the 18th century, and that's the first of many little known facts about Thanksgiving. 1. Thanksgiving didn't really originate in America Harvest festivals predated European colonists arriving in America. These celebrations that colonists brought over probably took place all over America. We do generally trace Thanksgiving back to a 1621 three-day festival celebrated by the pilgrims who possibly, depending on who you ask, also invited some Wampanoag Indians to join. 2. Dress code Not only did the Pilgrims not wear buckles, they also were probably not wearing black and white. Black fabric was extremely expensive at the time. In addition, American Indians weren't wearing loincloths. 3. Menu Here are some items that you probably wouldn't have seen at one of these harvest festivals back in the 1600s: * Turkey * Pumpkin pie * Sweet potatoes * Mashed potatoes * Cranberry sauce Goose or duck were most likely served, not Turkey. The meals might have also included swans, passenger pigeons and seafood. Early revelers probably enjoyed nuts, corn and pumpkin - but no pumpkin pies. Forks had not yet been invented so the only silverware that could have been found at the meal were knives and spoons. For a long time a misconception has persisted that Native Americans taught pilgrims about popcorn, and even brought it to the first Thanksgiving. Sadly that is untrue.  4. How it started We have Sarah Josepha Hale of New Hampshire to thank for the holiday. She was a magazine editor who spent 17 years of her life campaigning for a nationally recognized Thanksgiving. The campaigning included writing letters to at least five presidents including Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln. It was Lincoln who made Thanksgiving an official national holiday in 1863. 5. It's not the turkey making you sleepy You probably already know that turkey and/or tryptophan is not actually responsible for your post meal sleepiness. You might be extra tired after your meal, but don’t blame the turkey; it could just be that you overate. With potatoes, stuffing, yams, rolls and pie on top of that turkey, you’re inhaling a lot of carbs. 6. 50 million?! Minnesota is the state that produces the most turkeys. An estimated 50 million are eaten on Thanksgiving. That's 36 million pounds of turkey. 7. Football Football on Thanksgiving has been played since 1876 when Yale played Princeton, but the tradition continued with the NFL's first season in 1920 when six different games were played on Thanksgiving Day. 8. Parades There's actually a Thanksgiving Parade that's older than Macy's. 1920 saw the first annual Thanksgiving Parade in Philadelphia. It was previously known as the Gimbels Thanksgiving Day Parade. The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. Participants included elephants, camels and lions. Felix the Cat became the first ever Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. The Macy's parade didn't occur during World War II. The rubber from the balloons was given to help the war effort. Enjoy the fun facts when gathered around the dinner table this Thanksgiving! |
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