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Thanksgiving History - History Of Thanksgiving
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 Know about The History of Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving History, when the holiday was made official in the States, and the customs derived from it.
 Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a traditional North American holiday, which is a form of harvest festival. Though it was not known as Thanksgiving at the time it was celebrated, what we recognize as the first Thanksgiving feast was celebrated in 1621 by the pilgrims who sailed from Plymouth colony along with about 90 Wampanoag Indians. Earlier the Pilgrims had to bear through a devastating winter which killed almost half of their friends and family. Without the help of the Indians, all Pilgrims would have perished.
 Next year, after a fruitful harvest, Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving and prayer to God. The food, which was eaten outdoors, included corn, geese, turkeys, ducks, eplums, cod, bass, barley, venisson and corn bread. It is assumed that the feast took place in late autumn.
 In 1623, a period of drought was answered by colonists with a proclamation of prayer and fasting. Later that year, Governor Bradford proclaimed November 29 as a time for pilgrims to gather and "listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings."
 Many thanksgiving proclamations and celebrations were observed through the ages. In 1789 George Washington proclaimed a National Thanksgiving Day on the last Thursday in November, in honor of the new United States Constitution.
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday thanks to the untiring effort of Sarah Josepha Hale, an editor in Boston. For the date she chose the last Thursday in November because of Washington's proclamation. In 1941, it was officially changed to the fourth Thursday in November.
 Turkey Thanksgiving History
The wild turkey is native to northern Mexico and the eastern United States. Later it was domesticated in Mexico, and was brought into Europe early in the 16th century.
 Since that time, turkeys have been extensively raised because of the excellent quality of their meat and eggs. Some of the common breeds of turkey in the United States are the Bronze, Narragansett, White Holland, and Bourbon Red.
Though there is no real evidence that turkey was served at the Pilgrim's first thanksgiving, but through ages it became an indispensable part of the Thanksgiving tradition. The tradition of turkey is rooted in the 'History Of Plymouth Plantation', written by William Bradford some 22 years after the actual celebration.
 In his letter sent to England Edward Winslow, another Pilgrim, describes how the governor sent "four men out fowling" and they returned with turkeys, ducks and geese.
Unfortunately the Bradford document was lost after being taken away by the British during the War of Independence. Later it was rediscovered in 1854. And since then turkey turned out to be a popular symbol of the Thanksgiving Day. And today of all the the Thanksgiving symbols it has become the most well known.
 Today, Thanksgiving isn't considered Thanksgiving unless there is a bountiful feast of turkey and all the trimmings, images of Pilgrims and Native Americans, or the ever popular pumpkin. Through the years, it's become a religiously affiliated holiday and trips to local churches as well as providing a banquet for the less fortunate have become seasonal traditions. |
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