Thanksgiving Day: The Countdown
Order your personalized napkins or guest towels now, folks. You knew this day was coming. We have covered the origins of Halloween and Veterans Day in previous posts. This time around, Thanksgiving will be on the agenda. We love the smell of roasted turkey coming from the oven and the sound of people cheering on their favorite football team – unfortunately, most of us slept through history class and what we know about this beloved holiday is resorted to who is lucky enough to find the wishbone on their plate. Yes, for the most part, we all have the concept down. Thanksgiving is a special time we share with family and friends, but what do we really know about this day of giving thanks?
- Thanksgiving is mostly celebrated in the United States. Our next door neighbor, Canada and many people from all over the world, celebrate a similar feast of thanks.
- Immigrants or Pilgrims, as they are now called, from Plymouth, England (1620-1630) carried the tradition of thanksgiving to the new world.
- The first Plymouth feast, as it was called, took place in 1621. Experts agree that most dishes were prepared using Native American recipes and cooking techniques.
- Thanksgiving was originally a day of fasting.
- Pilgrims fled their country, the East Midlands of England, due to political and religious upheaval. They established a new colony in North America, the second most successful English settlement.
- George Washington, as president of the United States, declared the first nation-wide thanksgiving celebration on November 26, 1789.
- Many people still debate about which group of settlers (colonists) celebrated the first thanksgiving – in turn – inspiring the typical Thanksgiving Day we have learned to love.
- The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1863 by all states due to Abraham Lincoln’s presidential proclamation.
- Thanksgiving was originally celebrated on November 6th – among other days – but changed so that it wouldn’t interfere with other American holidays.
- An original Thanksgiving, did not contain deserts. Sadly, sugar was a staple that quickly ran out and the luxury of an oven was yet to reach the nearest department store.
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Ashley Boyd
Great info. There is a lot we don’t know about our history and this especially includes why we celebrate certain holidays. I have to say that I still have napkins from last Thanksgiving. Did buy some more though. You have to be prepared.
19 November 2012, 4:33 pmAshleigh316
I knew some of that, but not all of it. I think most people know about the pilgrims at Plymouth and so on, and how they were saved by the Native Americans that first year, which is what Thanksgiving was created to commemorate. However, I did not know the later parts, like how the holiday was established during Lincoln’s presidency or how it was originally celebrated much earlier in the month. I wonder why it was chosen to be on the fourth Thursday of the month instead of on a set date like most holidays, though.
Anyway, I’m happy to celebrate by eating lots of turkey and other delicious foods. I’ve got my personalized holiday napkins all ready to go for Thursday as well. All is ready, except for the food which I will be working hard on for the next couple of days. It’s going to be a great Thanksgiving!
19 November 2012, 4:37 pmJonathan Price
I’m always glad to see these blogs on the history of holidays! It gives me the opportunity to show off the knowledge I gain here at holiday parties. After all, complimenting the personalized guest towels may be a great conversation starter, but you need something to talk about after that. That’s when I like to drop one of the cool facts I learn from these blogs.
I bet that bit about George Washington declaring the first thanksgiving holiday will be a great topic of conversation come Thursday!
20 November 2012, 12:52 amMary Beth
Is there still time to get your personalized napkins and guest towels before Thanksgiving? I have no idea – I got mine a couple of weeks ago just to be sure. If anyone can do it, I’m sure it’s GiftsIn24.com, as they’re really fast at getting orders out. And not only will they get your order to you as quickly as possible, but they apparently do it while telling you all about the history of whatever holiday you’re celebrating! That’s why I love coming to this blog, it’s always a great read!
20 November 2012, 1:35 amIsabel Gutierrez
The original thanksgiving contained no dessert? What kind of holiday feast is THAT?
Like most everyone else who has posted, I knew some of these things but not all. It’s always interesting to learn how holidays that are commonly celebrated in our society came to be, and how the traditions surrounding these holidays have evolved over time. It makes me wonder what Thanksgiving and Christmas will look like someday when I’m old and gray.
One thing I do know, though, is that I will always have personalized holiday napkins with my Thanksgiving dinner, since I know a great place to buy whatever type of personalized napkins I want. I’m talking, of course, about right here at GiftsIn24.
20 November 2012, 4:38 pm