Onondaga Central
It is September 1620, the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, there were 102 passengers. Most are seeking religious tolerance in a new land, all of whom lured in by the promise of prosperity. Their journey lasted an agonizing 66 days, leading them to drop their anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. They landed far from their intended destination which was the mouth of the Hudson. A month later, who are now known as Pilgrims ended up in Massachusetts, establishing the village of Plymouth. The coming winter would be harsh, brutal, extremely cold, deadly, and disease would spread wildly around the villagers home. Only half will survive until spring. In March, a Native American man named Squanto would teach the weakened and malnourished Pilgrims how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He would help the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, which would endure for more than 50 years. This would lead to America’s “first Thanksgiving”, while that term was most likely not used, the festival lasted for three days.
Now, centuries later, every November we still celebrate the Pilgrims success. The Wampanoags and the Pilgrims' harmonious relationship is the soul reason for the celebration of Thanksgiving which was first celebrated on Thursday, November 28, 1621. During the Revolutionary War, historians believe that their actual menu considered of lobster, seal, and swan. It is also likely that the Pilgrims used Native American spices and cooking methods. The Pilgrims also had no oven and their sugar supply was most likely dwindled down to almost nothing, so the meal would not have consisted of desserts like pies and cakes. This is now a hallmark of our modern traditions. Parades have also become a momentous part of the holiday in cities and towns across the United States. Presented by Macy’s department store since 1924, New York City’s Thanksgiving Day parade is the largest and most famous, attracting some 2 to 3 million spectators along its 2.5-mile route. The parade draws the attention of millions of people across the country. For some, the events surrounding the first Thanksgiving is a controversial historical topic. Some historians can not decide on whether the feast at Plymouth really constituted the first Thanksgiving in the United States, even though there are historical records of ceremonies among European settlers in North America that predate the Pilgrims’ celebration. Surprisingly enough, Thanksgiving has some Ancient origins. Egyptians, Greeks and Romans celebrated their gods after the fall harvest. Thanksgiving also can show resemblance to the ancient Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot. Native Americans had a rich tradition of commemorating the fall harvest with feasting much before Europeans set foot on their land. Many wonder why we eat Turkey if the Pilgrims did not eat turkey. The tradition follows after Alexander Hamiliton when he said "No citizen of the U.S. shall refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day." However, a more sensible reason why we eat turkey is that so many families feast on Thanksgiving and a Turkey will feed all your hungry guests in a more economical manor. Chicken, beef, pork, and steak can be more expense and come from animals that perform other duties like produce milk and lay eggs, while Turkeys do neither. According theory to why we eat turkey is that, Queen Elizabeth I received news of a fleet of Spanish ships on their way to England that sank. This was during the 16th century. She received the news while eating dinner. She was so thrilled that she ordered another goose to be served. Some historians say the early settlers were inspired by the queen's actions and roasted a turkey, a native and plentiful bird. It is doubtful that Pilgrims ate cranberry sauce for sugar was a delicacy but cranberries were very prominent. The Pilgrims most likely ate cranberries. Sweet or white potatoes were not available during in the area in 1621 so those were not on the menu. Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-eat-turkey-on-thanksgiving
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