Today Thanksgiving is an American staple. November is known for its fall foliage, sweater weather, and of course, Thanksgiving feast. Now Thanksgiving is a happy holiday celebrated with plates full of turkey, potatoes, cornbread and pumpkin pie, things were very different in 1621 for the first Thanksgiving between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag, the Native American tribe. Here are five surprising facts about the original Thanksgiving feast:
1. The original Thanksgiving dinner lasted three days.
And I thought three plates was a lot of food.
2. There was no turkey.
Colonists and Native Americans ate fish and deer instead. Turkey became a new tradition a century later.
3. There were also no potatoes.
Honestly, this is just heartbreaking to learn.
4. President Lincoln was the one who made Thanksgiving a national holiday.
He was a man of many great proclamations.
5. The pilgrims were religious dissidents, not people looking for religious freedom.
They left England because they were unhappy with the Church and its “lax” rules. They literally separated from the Church.
6. The Pilgrims didn’t invite the Native Americans to their feast.
The Native Americans thought they were under attack and showed up while pilgrims hunted for food. And then the Wampanoag provided most of the food anyway.
What fact surprised you most? Comment below!