The origin, history, and curiosity of one of the most profound celebrations in American culture

On the fourth Thursday of November every year, a holiday is celebrated Thanksgiving DayA A quote to express gratitude and share. During this week most displacements occur in Country to meet family and friends. Almost more important than this, this pre-Christmas event is a special moment in which each diner takes stock of their year and gives thanks for all the good things they have and have earned, a nice way to stay on the good side of things.

Gratitude and union are key pillars

The origin of this tradition dates back to 1621, when English settlers in Plymouth -Part of present-day Massachusetts- and the Native Americans in the area, Wampanoagcelebrated their first successful harvest after a harsh winter. Thus a three-day celebration was held in which they shared turkey, pumpkin, and dried fruits. Although this is the origin that has the most support, there are other versions that place the date long before the arrival of Europeans, as the indigenous people were already celebrating rituals to ensure a good harvest, such as, for example, Green Corn Dance of the Cherokees. Likewise, the first Thanksgiving Mass celebrated by Europeans in North America was held on May 27, 1578, in Newfoundland, although the Spanish likely held an earlier religious mass in Florida.

This quote is best to give thanks for all the good things of this year

Cotton Bro Studio – Pexels

Whatever the case, Thanksgiving celebrations were held sporadically at the local level, over a period of more than 150 years, celebrating the fall harvest until 1789. Elias BoudinotA New Jersey congressman has proposed establishing a day of thanksgiving for the opportunity to create a constitution to preserve hard-won freedoms. And so is the president George Washington Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday. Although it was celebrated on that occasion on Thursday, November 26, for years it has been celebrated on different days depending on the state.

Sarah Josepha Hale The editor of Ladies’ Magazine and the Goody Lady Book, she began promoting Thanksgiving in 1827 by publishing magazine articles, stories, and recipes and writing letters to senators and presidents asking them to schedule a date. In 1863 as president Lincoln He declared that Thanksgiving would be on the last Thursday in November and In 1941, Congress decreed that day as a statutory holiday.

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel dates in the United States.

Carola Gee – Pixels

Türkiye is the undisputed protagonist

The answer to why you should eat turkey for this dinner is anything but Practicality and economics. The early settlers needed plentiful and easy-to-raise food, so choosing other types of animals was not an option. Wild turkeys were very common in the areaIn addition, it is a large bird and therefore has a larger amount of meat to feed a good group of people, something that does not happen with chickens, ducks or other birds. Furthermore, they did not provide other resources like milk or eggs, which is why turkey was ultimately the better choice for these plentiful meals.

Every year the US President pardons a turkey

Ernest Roy-Pixabay

As a notable fact, every year The President of the United States pardons a turkey sent by the National Turkey Federation In a televised ceremony at the White House. The first official amnesty was issued in 1989, but this was not premeditated. Rather, the version that year was tense and began to cause a great uproar. George H. shrub He improvised in front of the audience and said: “I assure you that this wonderful turkey will not end up on anyone’s table. It has already received a presidential pardon.” The joke ended up becoming a tradition. The lucky turkeys that survive are transported to university farms and agricultural parks where they live under veterinary care, becoming almost celebrities.

Curiosity about this festival

– On only two occasions did the president change the day of the celebration. In 1939 and 1940 franklin d. Roosevelt The third Thursday of the month was set so that Depression-era merchants could have more selling days before Christmas.

– Although the star dish currently is turkey, the fact is that it was also served at that first celebration Venison, pumpkin, corn and seafood.

Türkiye is the main dish of this celebration

Rocio Jimenez

– Sarah Josepha Hill not only promoted the celebration of this event, but also the choice of turkey as the main course.

– This holiday is celebrated in Canada Second Monday of October.

Since 1970, many indigenous communities have come together to celebrate National Day of Mourning Instead of Thanksgiving, they consider this date a reminder of the arrival of European settlers, and the subsequent acts of violence, displacement, epidemics, and loss of land.

– It is one of the great events in this history messi parade in new york, It is an event in which various floats and giant balloons are displayed to prominent figures, bands, groups of clowns, and even a Santa Claus parade. This event also marks the beginning of Christmas.

– Thanksgiving holiday and American football have also become an inseparable couple. Since 1934 Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys They take the field to play against other teams in what has now become another tradition.