As shades of crimson and gold bloom on the leaves along the sidewalk, the conspicuous arrival of that
time in the year when loved ones surround the table and steep low into gratitude is a memory as striking as if
the same holiday occurred yesterday. Thanksgiving is a celebration with friends and families, it’s all about
generating a lively atmosphere and making rowdy noises. As people say, another crucial part of Thanksgiving
is expressing appreciation— but let’s be honest, it’s mostly about how I should modify my polite decline of
seconds without offending my grandmother’s cooking and how to devour the last piece of pie without my
sister’s teary complaint. Anybody who has celebrated Thanksgiving before has at least experienced some
frequently observed activities that constitute the entertaining element of the celebration, but is there ever a
time of wondering how these customs found their way into the special annual holiday known as Thanksgiving?
This article will delve into the historical background and meaning behind the popular celebratory approaches.
Thanksgiving originated around 1620 when a group of English religious followers, nicknamed the
Pilgrims, had a disagreement with the Church of England so they decided to emigrate to a new place where
they could freely practice their religion without persecution. Only a group of 102 Pilgrims joined the expedition
to the New World (North America), but upon reaching their destination, the number decreased even further
due to an unaccustomed harsh, cold winter; many died of exposure, food deficiency, and disease that they had
no immunity to. In the consecutive year, the remaining Pilgrims were eventually triumphant in crop harvest with
the help of Native American tribes, especially the Wampanoag. They celebrated this bountiful success with a
three-day feast which is later described as the First Thanksgiving. Canadian Thanksgiving became an official
holiday in 1879 when the Parliament declared it a memorable day that the future king, Edward VII, recovered
from severe illness. Since 1957, Thanksgiving always occurred on October 9th or the second Monday of
October in Canada and the year 2023 is no different.
- Thanksgiving dinner is generally a feast consisting of roasted turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed
potatoes, gravy, and pumpkin pie. The sole reason cooked turkeys dominate the banquet is that during
the era of the First Thanksgiving, large turkeys plenteously roamed the wilderness in North America,
making it a good source of food and protein for commotion and congregations. As the tradition was
preserved, more people saw turkeys as a symbol of commemoration for early settlers and the
unification of family members. Stuffing vegetables and dairy products into the turkey was simply a
design to decrease the sebaceous taste of the meat and increase nutrients in meat platters. Cranberry
sauce became a popular side dish when the Native dwellers introduced these vibrantly colored berries
to European newcomers. They soon began experimenting with cranberry cuisine based on foreign
knowledge. The settlers added sugar to balance the sourness of the berries and they innovated the
foremost prototype of fruit jams used in filling tarts and other pastries. It was served on ancient
Thanksgivings to complement the savory richness of the turkey and to cleanse the palate between
each bite with some degree of acidity. The gravy was primarily a sauce to enhance the flavor of turkey
meat. Historically speaking, meat was roasted using an apparatus that captured the oily drippings or
juices in a cooking vessel; the extraction was then to be thickened using ingredients like flour and
breadcrumbs. Resembling our modern ovens except for the fact primitive people would probably use
thick sticks and stone cookware, there’s a built-in roasting rack to impale the turkey and a drip pan
placed beneath to allow air circulation and even cooking. As culinary radiation evolved through
generations, people enhanced gravy dishes with onion, butter, and chicken booths. Pumpkin pie was
an integral part of dessert on Thanksgiving days. Back in time, pumpkins were readily accessible and
conveniently stored, making it a practical choice to prepare for large celebratory events. Furthermore,
Thanksgiving celebrates a successful harvest season, pumpkins embodying a pleasant-yielding, fall
vegetable represent the gratitude for food production this year and the blending of people from
separate cultures.
- The “lucky break” or wishbone tradition involves delicately peeling the forked chest bone of a turkey,
known as the wishbone, off from the consumable portion. Afterwards, two people will each hold a
terminal and both will state a wish before pulling apart the bone. The person left with the bigger
fragment of bone will be the winner and have their wish granted. Tracing its origin to the ancient
Romans, individuals broke the wishbone of chickens with an inaudible wish because the fractured bone was believed to release healing and magical properties that escaped from the marrow, which now
evolved into this playful practice without superstition.
- Football games were usually played from dawn to dusk on Thanksgiving due to the accommodation of
many individuals in the family. Watching football games on television was a common activity that
served to house everyone from a range of ages. The earliest documentation of a football game hosted
on Thanksgiving was one between the teams of Yale and Princeton. Back in the 19th century,
technology was still dwindling on the spot, so reliance on special dates was the most practical way of
drawing assemblies of people and audiences to cheer and support the college football teams and
enabling universities to showcase their team’s abilities. Over the years, when the Canadian Football
League was founded, the CFL developed a habit of playing games on Thanksgiving simply because
more people have the time and enthusiasm to watch the games and rally behind the players.
- Thanksgiving parades were hosted in some Canadian cities and the most successful one was the
Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest located in Ontario. It was originally organized to celebrate German
heritage but since the date is fairly close to Thanksgiving—a more popular holiday—people ended up
celebrating this along the way. The parade featured many participants and entertainment
encompassing marching bands, local merchants, small business owners, dance groups, and cultural
communities. While the Thanksgiving parade in Canada was more low-key, there were small-scale
events organized by local communities that often reflected the unique character and gratefulness
across different towns.
- Thanksgiving leftovers can be created into dishes like sandwiches or casseroles after the Thanksgiving
dinner to reduce the amount of food waste and disposal. Many homes cook a generous quantity that
far transcends what everyone can consume in a single evening. Rather than throwing the surplus, it’s
considered an appreciating and environmentally-friendly practice to save edible leftovers for a few days
in extra and show acknowledgment of this year’s good reaping. Coordinators were initiating
challenges and competitions that encouraged families to prepare more than they could eat on
Thanksgiving, so they could participate in devising the most culinary inventive dishes such as
stuffing-stuffed mushrooms, turkey-pot pies, and mashed potato croquettes.
- In the United States specifically, the president hosted a “Turkey Pardon” ceremony on Thanksgiving
that involved two gifted turkeys for the evening’s feast being spared from their tragic fate and instead
returned to the farm without being cooked. This ceremony was regarded as a type of governmental
break where governors and the president were dismissed from serious politics temporarily and
received an opportunity to engage in a light-hearted activity. Additionally, it was also designed to
improve other residents’ long weekend mood in the process of broadcasting the rite to each home’s
channel.
Thanksgiving marks a day when families come together to enjoy the presence of each other and thank
the harvest for its ample product that sustained our lives. Like the people of two different cultures four hundred
years ago who helped each other out in the toughest time of the year; consequently, they also share the
abundance of the most fruitful season. Remember, the only thing better than a second scoop of mashed potato
is a second dose of gratefulness. While we are navigating through the post-dinner coma and struggling to
button up the pair of stubborn pants, take a moment to appreciate the true blessings of the day— the
pioneering of stretchy elastic bands— just kidding! Respect the opportunity to gather with loved ones and
indulge in cherished memories of shared laughter, may your cranberry sauce be homemade, your
conversation with relatives drama-free, and your heart full of warmth that only Thanksgiving can bring. Happy
Thanksgiving, may your leftovers never run out!
