Thanksgiving is that time of the year when families prepare a feast and get together. The day also marks the start of the Christmas season. This celebration is being celebrated in full blast and has a long history dating back to as far as the 1600s.
Moreover, modern people are setting aside time for this and enjoy the day not just with families but the whole community as well. Through the years, this holiday is also surrounded by various myths and legends, but of course some of these are weird but interesting and true. To know more about these, here are some facts and traditions associated with this festive holiday.
The Date of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving was not listed as an official holiday until the declaration of Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Since then the day is celebrated every fourth Thursday of November. Then in 1941, a legislation was signed to make Thanksgiving a federal holiday.
The First Thanksgiving Day Feast
In history books, turkey was never mentioned as part of the feast, so it can be assumed that Pilgrims may not have had turkey on their table. Instead, they celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day by serving deer, corn, a variety of fowl, bass, cod, and many other kinds of fish and shellfish. The fowl here may refer to various kinds of birds like duck, geese, and so on.
If there was no turkey, How it was associated with Thanksgiving?
Turkey was related to Thanksgiving for two reasons: First, in that period, wild turkeys found everywhere in New England, thus they are easy to get for the celebration. Second: It is a practical choice since it can serve many people due to its big size.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
NBCNY reported that in 1924, when Macy's Parade was first done, real animals were used instead of floats. People borrowed animals from the Central Park Zoo and put on parade around New York. Live animals were used until 1927.
In 1927, the ‘Felix the Cat' balloon replaced the live animals. Goodyear provided the balloon for the parade.
Black Friday
Since department stores were first introduced, Christmas season sales were already held to attract customers. But the "Black Friday" was first heard of in 1960s. The term "black" was coined in reference to stores that sell so much items in a day that it gets its profits out of the red and into the black for the year.
Only Spoons and Knives were Used on the First Thanksgiving
Fork was not present during the first Thanksgiving because it was only ten years after the first celebration was held that the fork was brought in by Governor Winthrop of Massachusetts.
Presidents Pardon a Turkey Every Year
Each year, one turkey is freed while the rest are sure to end up on the dinner table for the Thanksgiving feast. This tradition was started by President Truman in 1947. He personally picked a turkey and freed it at the Frying Pan Park in Herndon, Virginia.
On the other hand, on an article in LiveScience, it said that the first president to free a bird was President John F. Kennedy in 1963. At that time, JFK sent back a turkey given by the National Turkey Federation, with a note that says: "We'll just let this one grow."
Lastly, according to TodayIFoundOut, 91 percent of Americans eat turkey every Thanksgiving Day. And about 280 million turkeys are sold yearly, just for this feast. The number is equivalent to seven billion pounds of turkey that is worth $3 billion.
