Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.  Those are the basics of the traditional Thanksgiving celebration.  Oh yeah, there’s also that part about being thankful.

 

This year, Americans will eat well over 10,000,000 pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving Day.  That doesn’t include the turkey sandwiches, turkey salad, turkey burritos, or the number of other creative leftovers that Americans will feast on during the days that follow.  The day after Thanksgiving will be one of the busiest shopping days of the year, which retailers hope will set record numbers.

 

It’s the same year after year.  The Thanksgiving feast is a tradition that has been etched into the American calendar.  Like other major holidays (i.e. Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, etc.), the original purpose of the Thanksgiving celebration has been ignored or overshadowed by local traditions and commercial popularity.  In many cases, the origin has just been plain forgotten.

 

While it wasn’t an official holiday until the mid-1800s, the first Thanksgiving feast is credited to the Pilgrims.  Just like today, the purpose of that meal was to give thanks.  And the Pilgrims had a reason to be thankful.  After arriving on the Mayflower in December 1620, the group of religious castaways nearly died out within a year.  On the edge of starvation, they suffered through that first miserable winter with no food, poor shelter, and a complete lack of experience.

           

Then came Squanto.  Having lived several years in England, Squanto was a Native American who could easily communicate with the Pilgrims.  He helped the Pilgrims get adjusted to the New World.  Squanto taught them to hunt dear, plant corn, distinguish poisonous plants from healthy ones, and a slew of other survival basics.  He also introduced them to the local tribe, the Wampanoags, who helped the Pilgrims through the rough periods.

           

Unlike the previous winter, the Pilgrims were prepared for the cold months of 1621.  They had stored away food, built shelter, and grown accustomed to the land.  In late October, they decided it was time to celebrate, and give thanks, to the fact that the future was bright.  The Pilgrims joined with over ninety members of the Wampanoag tribe, and they held the first Thanksgiving feast—it lasted for three days.     

 

There was lots of turkey on the first Thanksgiving menu, just as you’ll see this year.  But there were a few key differences.  In addition to turkey, the Pilgrims and Indians feasted on venison, lobster, and duck—not your usual Thanksgiving foods.  Traditional items missing from the table were cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes (the Europeans thought tomatoes and potatoes were poisonous at the time), and pumpkin pie.  There wasn’t even corn on the cob.  The local Indians preferred their maize grounded into cornmeal.

 

The first Thanksgiving feast was intended to be a one-time occasion.  During the 19^th century, there was a national campaign to set aside a day each year to acknowledge the historical event.  In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the “Thanksgiving Proclamation,” thus creating the official holiday.