Thanksgiving Day is a holiday that is filled with countless traditions that are widely shared by millions of Americans, but how much do you really know about the history behind some of the most common and revered customs?
From cranberry sauce and turkey to parades and football, the annual foods and activities that millions of Americans partake in each year have deep and robust roots, with each being worthy of historical exploration.
TheBlaze chose just five of these popular cultural practices to provide you with some brief history and thought-provoking informational tidbits.
Enjoy them, below:
Why Turkey?
Turkey is a fixture at most Americans’ Thanksgiving tables, but where, exactly, did this tradition originate?
A definitive history is difficult to pin down, but many historians believe the bird didn’t actually enjoy a place at the original Thanksgiving feast between the Pilgrims and Native Americans back in 1621.
While poultry of some sort might have been served, turkey was not mentioned in historical accounts of the meal between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians.
Venison, though, was on the menu, along with other foods of the day.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
The Oregonian noted that, while we can’t be sure of when the turkey came into the mix, there is one key figure who advocated for the bird to be served on Thanksgiving — Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1879).
Not only did Hale, a well-known writer (she penned “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” among other works), urge families to adopt certain foods like turkey, but she was also the driving force behind pushing the U.S. government to adopt Thanksgiving as an official holiday.
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln obliged — and here we are today.
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