
That year Macy’s employees marched through New York City from 145th St. The Parade began, even before Thanksgiving was a legal holiday, in 1924. It was not until about 100 years later that the term 'Pilgrims' started to be commonly used to refer to the settlers.Īnother American Thanksgiving tradition is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. They would have called themselves 'separatists' or 'puritans'. The majority of the settlers were dissidents who had broken away from the Church of England.

The Plymouth settlers did not refer to themselves as 'Pilgrims'. The meal stems from that eaten by the pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving. The traditional American Thanksgiving meal includes turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, yams, and pumpkin pie. It is a day to gather with loved ones, celebrate, give thanks for many blessings and, of course, eat. The holiday has evolved into what Americans now know as Thanksgiving. Many letters she sent in that time were ignored, but a letter to Abraham Lincoln finally convinced him to declare Thanksgiving as a holiday in 1863. Sarah Josepha Hale, writer of 'Mary Had a Little Lamb', led a 17 year campaign to get Thanksgiving declared a national holiday. It caused widespread confusion with many states ignoring the change until Congress sanctioned the fourth Thursday in November as a legal holiday in 1941. This decision was heavily opposed, and was termed "Franksgiving". Thanksgiving was switched from the final Thursday in November to the next-to-last Thursday in November by President Roosevelt in 1939 as he wanted to create a longer Christmas shopping period to simulate the economy which was still recovering after the Great Depression. Every year following, the President proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving didn't become a nationwide holiday until President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November a national day of Thanksgiving in 1863. New York was the first state to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday, in 1817. Despite this, the holiday was celebrated on different days from state to state and Thomas Jefferson later did away with the holiday. The celebration, however, was not repeated until many years later, when in 1789 George Washington proclaimed Thanksgiving to be a national holiday on Thursday November 26th that year - setting the precedent of the last Thursday in November. More information on the Traditions of Thanksgiving.This first Thanksgiving was celebrated for three days, with the settlers feasting with the natives on dried fruits, boiled pumpkin, turkey, venison and much more. November of 1621 was the pilgrims' first successful harvest, and Governor William Bradford invited nearby Native American allies for a feast. The settlers had arrived in November 1620, founding the first permanent English settlement in the New England region.Īfter barely surviving their first winter, the pilgrims encountered Squanto, who taught them to grow corn, identify poisonous plants, and catch fish.

The American tradition of Thanksgiving dates back to 1621 when the pilgrims gave thanks for their first bountiful harvest in Plymouth Rock. However, it is not commonly a major modern event and arguably the success of the American holiday has been due to it being seen as a time to give 'thanks' for the foundation of the nation and not just as a celebration of the harvest. The custom of giving thanks for the annual harvest is one of the world's oldest celebrations and can be traced back to the dawn of civilization. Traditionally, this holiday celebrates the giving of thanks for the autumn harvest. After the meat has been removed and the wishbone has had a chance to become dry and brittle, two people each take one end of the bone, make a wish, and pull.Thanksgiving is a Federal holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States of America.

The wishbone is found attached to the breast meat in the turkey's chest.

Some families include breaking the turkey's wishbone as part of their celebration. Others eat squash, salads, or other fruit and vegetable dishes. They might eat vegetarian turkey, which can be made out of tofu. Some families choose to serve vegetarian Thanksgiving dinners instead of a stuffed turkey. Popular pie flavors are pumpkin, pecan, sweet potato, and apple. Many people serve pie for dessert at the end of the meal. Traditional foods include turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, cornbread, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. Many families include the entire family in the food preparation. Traditional foods are a large part of Thanksgiving celebrations.
