Every year, we look forward to the colossal Thanksgiving feast that is laid out in front of us. We spend time with our families and friends and surround ourselves with those we are most thankful for. We practice many different types of traditions and customs that may be passed down by generations or that are just common practices that other’s do on these holidays.
A tradition that was a lot more special when I was younger was deciding which two people from my family would get to break the wishbone from the turkey. It turns out that this tradition originated from an ancient Italian civilization that actually thought turkeys were magical birds that possessed the power to predict the future. Using the bird to predict unknown events was similar to a modern-day Ouija Board; the turkey would walk from letter to letter. Eventually, the people would get hungry and eat the bird. When this happened, they wanted to preserve the wishbone so they could still possess its magical power. They would rub it and hope that their wish would come true.
It is many people’s tradition to eat turkey on Thanksgiving. It turns out that no one knows exactly what the pilgrims ate after their first harvest back in 1621. Since turkey is a native bird of North America, it can be predicted that turkey was available, just maybe not on their plates. Turkey has remained the national bird on most family tables ever since President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.
A Thanksgiving meal seems incomplete without the dessert. One dessert that is always pulled out of the hot oven is the pumpkin pie, complete with a gigantic dollop of cool whip on top. Since ovens did not exist for the pilgrims’ and Wampanoags’ first Thanksgiving dinner, it is believed that a similar pumpkin-type dessert was offered. Since the Wampanoags had lots of experience surviving harsh winters by using squashes and pumpkins, they helped out the pilgrims by offering the various gourds as gifts. So, it’s very likely that a pumpkin was at the three-day Thanksgiving feast in some form or another. Early settlers were believed to have hollowed out the pumpkin shell, filled it with milk, honey, and spices, and put it in a hot fire with burning ashes. This form of cooking the pumpkin eventually evolved into one of America’s most favorite Thanksgiving desserts.
No matter which foods you eat or traditions you celebrate, I hope you can learn a lesson or two from the first, real Thanksgiving dinner. This Thanksgiving was not centered around just eating food, it was about the unification of two different groups of people who came together and celebrated their thanks for surviving one long and tough year in a new place. I hope this Thanksgiving season you can find peace celebrating your own life and all of the people in it.