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Interesting facts about the first 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?
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.
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!
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?
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.
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!
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