In an effort to tell my children more about the first thanksgiving and why it came about, I unearthed these cool little snippets. I only knew about 5 of these facts before today, so even I learned a lot.
- They very first thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 sometime between September 21 and Noveber 11 and actually lasted three days.
- Did you know that since the date is different every year that the President must proclaim that day as a national holiday?
- George Washington suggested November 26 as a national day of rest and thanksgiving in 1789.
- The very first feast was planned to not only because the settlers were thankful for a bountiful harvest but also to thank the Iroquois for teaching them how to prepare the many new and different foods.
- In 1939, in an effort to create more business opportunity for the busy Christmas season, President Franklin Roosevelt moved the date to the fourth Thursday in the month and then in 1941 Congress ruled that it would stay there.
- Sarah Josepha Hale lobbyed long and hard for it to be declared a national holiday. She was also the author of Mary Had a Little Lamb.
- Abraham Lincoln asked fellow Americans to set aside the last Thursday in the month for Thanksgiving 1863 as a way to unite the nation.
- Some of the foods eaten at the first Thanksgiving was maize (not to be confused with corn), cranberries, probably several different types of sqaush, and several types of meat that may or may not have included turkey but which most likely did include wild game as well as fish and fowl.
- Black and white were not the only colors worn by the Pilgrims; they were mostly reserved for religious observance. The pilgrims mostly wore earthen tones such as deep reds, greens, tan, blues and some violet.
- The Iroquios taught the settlers how to make ibimi (bitter berry) sauce by cooking cranberries with water and a sweetener.
- The Horn of Plenty or Cornucopia, which symbolizes this season of plenty, actually originated in Greece.
More Thanksgiving History
The History Channel
Thanksgiving Traditions and History
The Holiday Spot: Thanksgiving
American Greetings: Thanksgiving
James colored this picture. And we read The Very First Thanksgiving Day.
Be sure to tune in to the History Channel on November 19 at 8/7 central to watch Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower. I got to preview the first 10 minutes of it and this is a wonderful opportunity for a history lesson. I can't wait to watch the rest of it.
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