As the time nears that we enjoy our Thanksgiving dinners with our families, I often think about the Pilgrims and the adversity they faced, but I also consider our traditions and how they were started.
I never really questioned our tradition of serving turkey for Thanksgiving, but I guess I figured that the pilgrims hunted turkeys for that first Thanksgiving dinner in 1621.
Interestingly, there isn’t exactly evidence that specifies whether or not they served turkey during that celebration; turkey became a tradition hundreds of years after the Pilgrims’ landing.
It appears that this tradition of serving turkey at Thanksgiving is derived from a novel written by Sarah Josepha Hale in 1827. The novel, titled Northwood, has a chapter focused on Thanksgiving celebrations in New England. Hale used her platform to promote the idea of turning Thanksgiving, a regional holiday celebrated in New England, into a national holiday. Her efforts would become successful as president Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.
Hale’s depictions of her ideal Thanksgiving meals often had turkey as the main dish. Evidently, these stories would become reality as the entire nation now celebrates Thanksgiving with turkey.
I wish you a happy Thanksgiving as we celebrate the 405th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ successful landing in the New World!
What are you most thankful for this year?
Onward American 