Onondaga Central
Thanksgiving is a long-standing American holiday, began by our first settlers. The Puritans had an arduous time settling in America, fighting for their lives against the harsh living conditions. The Puritans in Massachusetts, teamed up with the Wampanoag Native Americans to farm, harvest, and thus feast off of the fruits of their labor in 1621. As many of our Thanksgiving day traditions are depicted by cornucopias, roasting turkeys, pumpkin pies, sweet cranberry sauce, and the esteemed mashed potatoes we all indulge in, many of us are wondering why. In 2020, everything seems to be an anomaly, bringing changes to our long-standing holiday plans, and some things have certainly changed. One thing that can’t change is history. So... What’s on the menu?: Originally, lobster, seal, and swan were on the Thanksgiving menu for the Pilgrims. Native Americans also brought venison to the dinner. Their feasts consisted of mussels, oysters, clams, and bass. Seafood such as mussels and oysters clung to Massachusetts' rocky shoreline, making for easy and abundant harvest. As 88% of Americans dig into the big bird known as turkey, the Pilgrims did not. One reason why we eat turkey is that so many families feast on Thanksgiving and a turkey can feed all your hungry guests in a more economical manner. Chicken, beef, pork, and steak can be more expensive and come from animals that perform other duties like produce milk and lay eggs, while turkeys do neither. 46 million turkeys are killed every year for Thanksgiving so, choosing an animal that does not provide us with other necessary resources is crucial. Moreover, another theory of why we eat turkey is that Queen Elizabeth I received news of a fleet of Spanish ships on their way to England 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. Since sugar was a delicacy, it is doubtful that Pilgrims ate cranberry sauce for sugar was a delicacy. The Pilgrims most likely ate plain cranberries. Sweet and white potatoes were not available in the area during 1621, so those were not on the menu. It’s likely that the remains of whatever birds were roasted were then thrown in a pot and boiled to make a broth for the next day. The broth was then thickened with grain to make gravy. Many of the recipes we make every year can be attributed to Sarah Josepha Hale who published recipes such as stuffing, Turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Speaking of pumpkin pie… Americans eat an estimated 50 million pumpkin pies on Thanksgiving. However, according to the American Pie Council, more people would rather enjoy an apple pie than all others. Pumpkin pie came in second. The pumpkin filling the buttery pie crust seems to be on everyone’s table. The orange gourds first appear in Europe dating back to 1536, and within a few decades, they were grown regularly in England, where they were called “pumpions,” after the French “pompon,” a reference to their rounded form. Both the Pilgrims and members of the Wampanoag tribe ate pumpkins and other squashes indigenous to New England, but the colony lacked the butter and the flour necessary for making pie crust. In addition, settlers hadn’t yet constructed an oven for baking. According to some accounts, early English settlers in North America hollowed-out pumpkins, filling the shells with milk, honey, and spices to make a custard, then roasting the gourds whole in hot ashes. Another way pumpkin was served was in a recipe from a 1653 French cookbook instructing cooks to boil the pumpkin in milk and strain it before putting it in a crust, that is if there was flour available. English writer Hannah Woolley wrote that a pie should be filled with alternating layers of pumpkin and apple, spiced rosemary, sweet marjoram, and a handful of thyme. By the early 18th century pumpkin began to be served, especially as Thanksgiving became an important New England regional holiday. In 1705 the Connecticut town of Colchester famously postponed its Thanksgiving for a week because there wasn’t enough molasses available to make pumpkin pie. In the mid-19th century, pumpkin pie gained political significance and was interjected in the United State’s slavery debate. Abolitionists such as Sarah Hale and Lydia Maria Child both wrote about the famous pie. In 1929 Libby’s meat-canning company of Chicago introduced a line of canned pumpkin that soon became a Thanksgiving fixture and staple in its own right, replacing the need for roasting and straining one’s own squash. So next time you open a can of pumpkin, just remember you are opening up a can of history. What about the Macy’s Day Parade?: 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. The first parade featured zoo animals instead of the renowned balloons we have grown to love. What will happen with the Parade this year?: Technically, the parade is “canceled” from all live audiences however the parade will happen Thursday, Nov. 26 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The parade will feature big Broadway names such as the Radio City Rocketts, Hamilton, and Mean Girls. The Muppets, Dolly Parton, and of course the legendary Santa Claus will be featured in the parade. For many of us, the parade will not be different, considering a majority of America watches the parade from their homes. The parade has captivated over 50 million Americans in recent years, making it one of the most-watched televised events. Not to mention the parade costs $11.6 to $13.4 million each year for floats, decorations, and pretty much everything that wows you on Thanksgiving day. What’s the big deal with the Cornucopia?: The Cornucopia has long been a popular symbol of Thanksgiving, but do we really know much about the Cornucopia. In Latin “cornu” means horn, and “copia” means plenty. The Cornucopia historically was a real goat’s horn filled with fruit and grains that has now been depicted as an ornate centerpiece. Cornucopias are also recognized as cone-shaped items. Craterellus cornucopia is a type of mushroom that was named this because of its horn-like shape. In 1904, the world’s first waffle corn at the St. Louis World Fair was called the “World’s Fair Cornucopia” because of its shape. Long before the First Thanksgiving, ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses such as Demeter have been illustrated with cornucopias in their hands. Amalthea, a goat and foster mother to Zeus, accidentally had one of her horns broken off by Zeus. This horn then had the power to provide endless food, fitting with the theme of Thanksgiving. The Cornucopia has since then been associated with Gods, harvest, and prosperity, such as the Greek Fortuna, the goddess of luck, and the Roman Annona, goddess of the grain supply of Rome. The symbol of the cornucopia was used, along with rolling fields of grain, to entice new settlers to come to the New World. And then the Cornucopia, the heart of Thanksgiving, was born. What will become of Black Friday shopping this year?: This year stores will remain closed on Thanksgiving day. Some stores such as Costco. have spanned Black Friday over a few days and will be online deals. Numerous department stores have extended the deals beyond just Friday and will begin earlier in the week as usual. Target is dropping Black Friday prices during the entire month of November to spread out the deals to limit the mobs of savvy shoppers. Walmart also is spreading their in-store and online deals in three separate events, which span the entire month of November. Amazon had Amazon Prime Day in October which was a three-day steals and deals event. They will be running Cyber sales and Black Friday like sales long before Black Friday and Cyber Monday. However, since they are an online store, they will honor their traditional Black Friday routine. While Black Friday may look different, the cornucopia of price drops, percentages off, BOGO deals, and coupons will still be just as outstandingly prominent as always. So shoppers, get ready! Sources: https://www.historyextra.com/period/modern/thanksgiving-history-facts-when-first-what-why-pilgrims-turkey/ https://agamerica.com/thankful-for-ag-the-history-of-cornucopia/ https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/first-thanksgiving-meal#&gid=ci0236cb14e0002658&pid=hith-florida-thanksgiving-mass-pc6134 https://www.teenvogue.com/story/why-we-eat-thanksgiving-foods https://www.history.com/news/the-history-of-pumpkin-pie https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/thanksgiving-ideas/a35457/thanksgiving-trivia/ https://www.historyextra.com/period/modern/thanksgiving-history-facts-when-first-what-why-pilgrims-turkey/ https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving
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