Thanksgiving-Facts and Myths

How many of us know the REAL Thanksgiving story? Or just think we do?  Lets test our knowledge, shall we?

TRUE OR FALSE
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Pumpkin pie has been a Thanksgiving must-have since the pilgrims and the Wampanoag shared a table together?

FALSE
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While various squashes may have been served, they almost certainly were not served in a dessert form.  Most likely they were boiled or roasted.  In fact, vegetables were not plentiful at this time of the year.


TRUE OR FALSE
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The pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621 and it has been a national tradition ever since.

FALSE
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For the people we know as pilgrims, a day of thanksgiving could happen at any time of the year.  It was considered a religious celebration, a time to thank God for His providing food, victory, or health.

TRUE OR FALSE
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The somber pilgrims and natives of Plymouth let it all hang out and got down at the celebration we call Thanksgiving.

TRUE
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While days of thanksgiving were religious celebrations, and thus somber and quiet affairs, the celebration the Mayflower survivors and the Wampanoag shared was not considered a day of thanksgiving by the pilgrims.  The colonists considered this a secular celebration so there was dancing, game playing, and the singing of secular songs.

TRUE OR FALSE
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The feast shared by the colonists and the natives probably included cod, clams, and other seafood.

TRUE
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Turkey probably wasn't even on the menu.  The records from that first feast state that venison and wild fowl were eaten, but that doesn't necessarily mean turkey.  Seafood was plentiful, they were after all, on the coast of Massachusetts.  So most likely, clams might have been eaten.

TRUE OR FALSE
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Hundreds of colonists and natives shared the feast for 3 days.

FALSE
~~~~~~~~~

By the time of the feast in 1621 there were only 52 people left who had arrived on the Mayflower.  The natives were most likely not invited but probably showed up when they heard muskets being fired in enthusiasm for a plentiful harvest.  Massasoit, the leader of the Wampanoag, and 90 of his warriors did show up and share a meal.  Whether they stayed for the 3-day celebration is uncertain.


I gathered most of this information from historychannel.com and about.com.  For an interesting take on the whole Thanksgiving story, I encourage you to watch "Squanto: A Warrior's Tale."  It's a well done movie that my children have watched every Thanksgiving since they were little.  I highly reccommend it.