Turkey, stuffing and pie, oh my! Today, Thanksgiving is a day that we spend with our families, eating way too much turkey, stuffing and pie. It’s a day for watching football and planning our shopping strategy for Black Friday. As we spend the morning preparing our feast and give thanks, lets take a look back at what the first Thanksgiving celebration looked like in 1621 – it might even surprise you!
Turkey was not on the menu.
The first Thanksgiving did not include the beloved turkey of modern Thanksgiving dinners. Instead, it is believed the pilgrims feasted on things such as lobster, rabbit, chicken, fish, squash, beans, chestnuts, hickory nuts, onions, leeks, dried fruits, maple syrup and honey, radishes, cabbage, carrots, eggs, and goat cheese.
The pilgrims did not use forks.
At the time, forks had not been invented. Instead the pilgrims ate with spoons, knives, and their fingers. It wasn’t until a decade later that forks were introduced and not until the 18th century that they began to catch on.
The first Thanksgiving celebration wasn’t an actual “Thanksgiving” celebration.
What has become to be known as the first Thanksgiving was actually a feast to celebrate the end of the harvest season. The harvest festival lasted three days. The idea of a national Thanksgiving began to gain traction in the 18th & 19th centuries
Pilgrims didn’t wear silver buckles on their hats or shoes.
One myth surrounding the pilgrims is the way they dressed. Believe it or not, the settlers didn't have silver buckles on their shoes or hats. At that time, buckles were expensive and not in fashion. In addition, they didn’t wear plain, black clothing. Their attire was actually bright and cheerful – which was the fashion at the time. They only wore predominately black and gray clothing on Sundays.
Over the centuries, Thanksgiving has certainly evolved but one thing remains the same. We use this day to reflect on the things we are thankful for. What are you most thankful for this holiday season?
Absolutely! Thanksgiving's history is fascinating, and the facts mentioned in that passage shed light on its origins. Let's delve into the concepts discussed:
1. Turkey, Stuffing, and Pie: These iconic Thanksgiving foods weren't part of the first celebration in 1621. The feast comprised lobster, rabbit, chicken, fish, squash, beans, chestnuts, hickory nuts, onions, leeks, dried fruits, maple syrup, honey, radishes, cabbage, carrots, eggs, and goat cheese. This historical menu reveals a diverse array of foods.
2. Utensils at the First Thanksgiving: Forks weren't part of the pilgrims' utensils; they used spoons, knives, and their fingers to eat. The introduction of forks happened later, around a decade after this celebration, and it took even longer for them to gain popularity.
3. Nature of the Celebration: The initial Thanksgiving wasn't specifically intended as a "Thanksgiving" in the traditional sense but was a feast to mark the end of the harvest season. This harvest festival spanned three days and evolved over time into the concept of a national day of gratitude.
4. Pilgrim Attire: Contrary to popular belief, pilgrims didn't wear silver buckles on their hats or shoes. Buckles were costly and not a fashion norm during that period. Their attire was colorful and vibrant, in line with the fashion trends of the time. The somber black and gray clothing associated with pilgrims was typically reserved for Sundays.
Thanksgiving has indeed transformed over the centuries, yet its core essence of reflection and gratitude remains constant. It's a time for people to come together, appreciate each other's company, and express gratitude for the blessings in their lives.
FAQs
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 over a three day harvest festival. It included 50 Pilgrims, 90 Wampanoag Indians, and lasted three days. It is believed by historians that only five women were present. Turkey wasn't on the menu at the first Thanksgiving.
What are 4 facts about the first Thanksgiving? ›
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 over a three day harvest festival. It included 50 Pilgrims, 90 Wampanoag Indians, and lasted three days. It is believed by historians that only five women were present. Turkey wasn't on the menu at the first Thanksgiving.
What was missing from the first Thanksgiving? ›
It is also worth noting what was not present at the first Thanksgiving feast. There were no cloudlike heaps of mashed potatoes, since white potatoes had not yet crossed over from South America. There was no gravy either, since the colonists didn't yet have mills to produce flour.
What is the true story of the first Thanksgiving? ›
In 1621, the Plymouth colonists from England and the Native American Wampanoag people shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states.
What are 3 foods that were eaten at the first Thanksgiving? ›
But according to the two only remaining historical records of the first Thanksgiving menu, that meal consisted of freshly killed deer, assorted wildfowl, cod, bass, and flint, and a native variety of corn harvested by the Native Americans, which was eaten as corn bread and porridge.
What are 5 interesting facts about the first Thanksgiving? ›
The first Thanksgiving was actually a three-day festival.
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 as a harvest festival. It included 50 Pilgrims, 90 Wampanoag Indians, and lasted three days. Historians believe that only five women were present.
What are 10 facts about the first Thanksgiving? ›
15 Things You Didn't Know About The First Thanksgiving
- The meal was cooked by only four women because all the other women pilgrims had died. ...
- There was probably no turkey. ...
- There was definitely no pie. ...
- It was a feast of venison organ meat. ...
- Everyone was drunk, even the children. ...
- Most of the Native Americans were also dead.
Whether mashed or roasted, white or sweet, potatoes had no place at the first Thanksgiving. After encountering it in its native South America, the Spanish began introducing the potato to Europeans around 1570.
What was eaten at first Thanksgiving? ›
The first Thanksgiving banquet consisted of foods like venison, bean stew and hard biscuits. And while corn and pumpkin had their place on the table, they hardly resembled the cornbread stuffing and pumpkin pie we feast on today.
What food would not have been eaten at the first Thanksgiving? ›
White potatoes, originating in South America, and sweet potatoes, from the Caribbean, had yet to infiltrate North America. Also, there would have been no cranberry sauce. It would be another 50 years before an Englishman wrote about boiling cranberries and sugar into a “Sauce to eat with. . . .
Several times this happened because of the massacres of Native people, including in 1637 when Massachusetts Colony Governor John Winthrop declared a day of thanksgiving after volunteers murdered 700 Pequot people.
How many survived to first Thanksgiving? ›
Following a successful harvest in the autumn of 1621, the colonists decided to celebrate with a three-day festive of prayer. The 53 surviving are said to have eaten with 90 indigenous people in what became known as the first Thanksgiving.
Who survived to the first Thanksgiving? ›
Of the 102 original Mayflower passengers, only 44 survived. Again like in Jamestown, the kindness of the local Native Americans saved them from a frosty death. The Pilgrims' remarkable courage was displayed the following spring. When the Mayflower returned to Europe, not a single Pilgrim deserted Plymouth.
What were 2 types of food at the first Thanksgiving? ›
So, to the question “What did the Pilgrims eat for Thanksgiving,” the answer is both surprising and expected. Turkey (probably), venison, seafood, and all of the vegetables that they had planted and harvested that year—onions, carrots, beans, spinach, lettuce, and other greens.
What president made Thanksgiving a holiday? ›
President Abraham Lincoln had declared Thanksgiving a national holiday on the last Thursday in November in 1863 and tradition dictated that it be celebrated on the last Thursday of that month.
How long did the first Thanksgiving last? ›
Together, the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag visitors “entertained and feasted” for three days. Since he didn't think it was important, Winslow kept his version of the event brief. He never used the word “thanksgiving.”2 We are left to wonder what the participants thought of it.
What are 10 facts about pilgrims? ›
Ten Pilgrim Facts You Need to Know
- Wore Bright Clothing. ...
- Mayflower Was One of Two Ships. ...
- Not All Mayflower Passengers Were Pilgrims. ...
- They Were Supposed to Land in Virginia. ...
- Mayflower Compact Influence. ...
- Rejection of John Smith. ...
- Stephen Hopkins & Shakespeare. ...
- King James I & the Bible.
This feast lasted three days and was attended by 90 Native American Wampanoag people and 53 survivors of the Mayflower (Pilgrims).
Did they eat on the first Thanksgiving? ›
The first Thanksgiving banquet consisted of foods like venison, bean stew and hard biscuits. And while corn and pumpkin had their place on the table, they hardly resembled the cornbread stuffing and pumpkin pie we feast on today.
