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The Facts about Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner History
Thanksgiving Activities & Traditions
Get ready to learn the truth behind the Thanksgiving celebration.We'll talk turkey about what was really on the first Thanksgivingtable, how Thanksgiving became a national holiday, and we'll spillthe beans how the official Presidential pardoning of the turkeycame to be a tradition.
For even more great Thanksgiving ideas, check out our selection ofThanksgiving recipes, crafts, and kids'printables.
What is Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November inthe United States. In Canada it is celebrated on the second Mondayin October. In 2008, Thanksgiving is celebrated on November 26th inthe US, and October 12th in Canada.
The First Thanksgiving
When we think of Thanksgiving today, images of football, pumpkinpie, parades, and turkey dinner complete with cranberry sauce cometo mind, as well as plans for a Black Friday shopping spree thefollowing day.
Of course none of these items were present back in 1621, whenthe Wampanoag people and the Pilgrims sat down together to givethanks for nature’s bounty. Although the celebrants at thisparticular meal didn’t even call it “Thanksgiving”, this particularharvest feast is the one after which we model our modern-dayThanksgiving celebrations.
People of both cultures had been giving thanks for the fall harvestand other gifts of nature for many centuries. It is interesting tonote that the religious element, giving thanks to God, was notpresent at this particular celebration in 1621, even though thePilgrims were devoutly religious. In fact, some earlyPilgrim"thanksgiving days" wereactually fasts rather than feasts. Imagine that!
However, the Native Americans had their own religious customs andbeliefs. As a result, during this"first"Thanksgiving, Pilgrims andNative Americans did not focus on what was different between them,but instead concentrated on what they all shared. The two groups ofpeople worked side by side to hunt and prepare food as equals andfriends. Their friendship and cooperation was yet another thing forwhich to be thankful.Other feasts such as this one took placethroughout the New World, where settlers and Native Americansworked together and celebrated together as one.
When we sit down to our Thanksgiving dinner, we honor a piece ofearly American history. The story of the Pilgrims and NativeAmericans serve as a good reminder for all of us to be thankful forwhat we have—no matter how much or how little.
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How Thanksgiving Became a Holiday
After 1621, future Thanksgiving celebrations occurred at varioustimes throughout the year. George Washington declared a feast ofThanksgiving in 1789, and presidents issued similar yearlyproclamations after that. During the Civil War, poet Sarah Halestarted a campaign to celebrate the holiday on the same daythroughout the country.
President Abraham Lincoln saw it as a way to unite the country, andhe in 1863 he proclaimed a national Thanksgiving celebration on thelast Thursday in November. It was changed from the last Thursday tothe third Thursday by Franklin Roosevelt in 1939 as a way tolengthen the Christmas shopping holiday. In 1941,Roosevelt finallychanged the date to the fourth Thursday in November, proclaiming ita Federal holiday in1941.
Turkey: It's What's for Dinner
When the Wampanoag people and the Colonists sat down to theirthree-day feast to give thanks, they dined on lobster, fish packedin salt, dried and smoked meats, and freshly caught wild game. Theydid not eat corn on the cob (as Indian corn was only good formaking corn meal, not eating whole) or eat pumpkin pie or cranberrysauce since sugar, yams, or sweet potatoes had not yet beenintroduced to the New England region.
Turkey is the big centerpiece of most Thanksgiving celebrationsacross the United States. Since records of exactly what was eatenat that first celebration in 1621 are fuzzy at best, wild turkeymay or may not have even been eaten at the feast.
The thing is, turkey was one of the staples of the settlers' dietsat that time anyway, as turkeys were in great supply and wereenjoyed for their eggs as well as their abundant meat. So, even ifthe feathered bird wasn't there at the first Thanksgiving, theturkey quickly became a fixture at future tables.
Today, many families opt instead for a roast goose (which wasalmost definitely present at the first feast), aham (which wasalmost definitely not present), or the new"gourmet" tradition of turducken(a turkey stuffed with a duck that's stuffed with a chicken).
Thanksgiving is one of the few feasts where even the vegetarianscan go home full without much modification of the standard menu.Leave out the roast turkey and you still have sweet potatoes,stuffing,corn, cranberry sauce, apple and pumpkin pie, roastsquash, brussels sprouts and a host of other seasonal sides anddesserts to pig out on. Of course, you can always add Tofurkey(turkey-flavored tofu) or another meat substitute for thenon-carnivores and turkey-pardoners of the group.
All the President's Turkeys
And just where did that US Presidential pardoning of the turkeytradition come from? Well, the tradition of officially pardoning aturkey dates back as far as Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, orGeorge H. Bush,depending on whom you ask. Photos depict PresidentTruman accepting a turkey at the White House,although it is notknown whether the bird ended up on the table or at the farm afterthe cameras left the scene.
John F. Kennedy was presented with a turkey at Thanksgiving anddecided to "just keep it" insteadof serve it up. And when President Bush Senior was presented with aholiday turkey, he gave a lighthearted speech where he decided toofficially pardon the turkey. Turkeys have been officially pardonedsince that day.
Thanksgiving will see many families gathered around the televisionwatching football, cheer leading competitions, or Macy'sThanksgiving Day Parade – or all three. The Macy's ThanksgivingParade(originally called Macy's Christmas Parade) began in 1924 inNew York City as a kickoff to the holiday shopping season. Sinceits first national broadcast in 1947, it has been a staple for TVaudiences across the country.
Other families take advantage of the four-day-weekend holiday totake a trip – either to visit family or take a vacation. Eitherway, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is traditionally one of themost heavily trafficked days of the year by car or by plane.
Long airport delays, higher fares, unpredictable weather conditionsand other travel hassles have some families opting to go local andbridge the familial distance on less difficult days.
For families who stay close to home, opportunities to participatein community celebrations, as well as opportunities forvolunteering, are abundant. Many do-gooders go civic and volunteerat local soup kitchens, shelters, orphanages, and other charitiesto lend some helping hands during the holiday.
Celebrating with Kids
Ready? Set the Table!
To prepare for the holiday, it's always fun to get the kidsinvolved in menus and food preparation. Setting the table orcreating centerpieces are fun ways for kids to get involved andhelp out. Instead of table linen sat the children's table, tape asheet of brown butcher paper or a roll of white paper to the tableand set the table over it. Set out cups of crayons, chalk, markers,or stickers and encourage guests to decorate their own placesettings. This can be a hit at the grownups' table, too!
Thanksgiving Poems and Performances
Children enjoy writing and performing puppet shows or Thanksgivingplays, and it's a great way to extend the holiday by talking aboutthe themes and leading up to the big day. Memorizing and recitingpoems is fun for the second grade and up, and songs are fun forkids of any age.
Tell the story of Thanksgiving through a book such as ThanksgivingDay, by the mother/daughter team of Anne and Lizzy Rockwell (1999,Harper Collins) In the story, the children put on a class play toreenact the first Thanksgiving meal shared by the Wampanoag peopleand the Pilgrims. It serves as a great jumping off point fordiscussions, crafts, games and even performances related to theholiday. During a lull in the eating and serving, children can gettogether and make up a poem or story, then recite it for the adultswhen they finish. Parents can present kids with"story starters" – pieces ofpaper with a word or phrase on each one –to set a theme, tone oridea to get the group started.
Dinner Games
Some families use the theme of the holiday as a way to encouragethe family to share things for which they are thankful. Goingaround the table and having each guest state one thing they arethankful for can often lead to multiple rounds of expressions ofthanks.
This can also be turned into a game where each person writes whatthey are thankful for on a piece of paper, then put it in a hat. Aseach one is read aloud, everyone can guess who wrote it. Parentscan alsogive thanks and bless their children at the Thanksgivingtable. Placing their hands on each child's head,they can silentlyor aloud state something they appreciate about their child and adda blessing or wish for the child for the coming year.
For even more great ideas, check out our Thanksgiving crafts andprintables as well as this list of great Thanksgiving books forkids of all ages to find more inspiration on celebrating thiswonderful holiday with your family.
感恩节的常识
火鸡大餐的由来
感恩节的活动和传统
下面我们将讲讲和感恩节有关的故事，告诉你火鸡是什么时候登上感恩节大餐的餐桌，感恩节如何变成法定假期，以及总统正式赦免火鸡的传统是怎么来的。
我们还会提供更多关于感恩节的信息，配方、工艺、还有小册子。
什么是感恩节呢？
各地过感恩节的日子不一样，美国在11月的第四个周四，加拿大在10月的第二个周一，比如2008年，美国的感恩节在11月26日，加拿大在10月12日。
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第一个感恩节
在今天我们一想到感恩节就会联想起球赛、南瓜饼、游行、火鸡大餐、以及餐后的甜点蔓越莓酱，也会联想到在之后的“黑色星期五”里疯狂购物的景象。
但这一切在1621年都不存在，那时印第安土著和刚踏上北美土地的英国清教徒们坐在一起，只为感激自然无私的赐予，那时他们就是吃顿饭，都没有“感恩节大餐”的名字，这个名字是现代为了庆祝感恩节活动后取的。
印第安土著和英国清教徒们文化、信仰不同，他们在一起庆祝是为了感谢大自然无私地赐予他们丰收和食物。有趣的是，尽管英国的清教徒们是很虔诚的信徒，但在1621年的感恩庆祝活动中他们只是感谢自然，而非感谢上帝他老人家。另外，早期的感恩节中，有的清教徒不仅没有大吃一顿，相反是在斋节中度过的。
尽管印第安土著们有他们自己的宗教传统和信仰，但在1621年那第一个感恩节上，无论是印第安土著还是英国清教徒，他们都没有强调自己的文化传统，着眼双方的差异，相反他们关注共享的自然和大地，求同存异共同奋进。这两拨人不分彼此，一起打猎，一起准备食物，处的就像朋友一样。如同感激自然的赐予一样，他们的友谊与合作也是值得赞美的，于是随着拓荒者和印第安土著的逐步融合、共同劳作，这项感恩的传统就在北美新大陆上逐步传播开来了，每年大家都聚在一起感激自然的赐予和所有人亲密无间的合作。
当我们坐在感恩节餐桌前的时候，我们感念和赞颂早期美洲拓荒史，印第安土著和英国清教徒之间的故事提醒着我们，无论我们拥有的是多还是少，我们都应该感激自然的赐予和朋友的友谊。
感恩节怎么变成节日了呢？
1621年后，感恩庆祝活动持续了好多年，但时间都不固定。1789年，华盛顿总统正式宣布感恩节大餐并庆祝这一节庆活动，此后的多年间总统们也发表类似的公告。在美国内战期间，诗人SarahHale推动全国在同一天庆祝感恩节。
林肯总统认为可以通过庆祝感恩节来提高国家的凝聚力，于是他在1863年宣布11月的最后一个周四是法定的感恩节假日。在1939年，富兰克林罗斯福总统把这个日子改为了11月的第三个周四，这延长了圣诞采购季，为拉动内需提供帮助。最终，在1941年罗斯福总统把感恩节定为11月的第四个周四，并发布公告，把感恩节定为联邦的法定节假日。
火鸡大餐
当印第安土著和英国清教徒们大宴三天，感恩自然的时候，他们的食物是龙虾、腌咸鱼、烟熏肉和一些新鲜野味，他们没吃玉米棒子（那时印第安人种的玉米只能用来碾玉米粉，没法整根儿吃），也没吃南瓜饼、蔓越莓酱和芋头，更没吃甜土豆（那时还没引入新大陆呢）。
对于如今全美大多数家庭的感恩节大餐来说，火鸡绝对是重头戏，但想知道在遥远的1621年，感恩节大餐上到底吃没吃火鸡，实在是太难了。
无论如何，由于火鸡个大肉多产蛋量大，它逐步成为了殖民者们的重要食物。所以，就算在1621年那第一个感恩节大餐上没有火鸡，它也很快成为餐桌上的常客了。
现如今，很多家庭在制定感恩节菜谱的时候，不愿意选烤鹅（这几乎肯定出现在了1621年那第一次感恩节大餐中），宁愿选火腿（这几乎肯定没出现过）或新的“美味传统火鸡”（火鸡肚子里填满鸡鸭）。
和其他节日比起来，感恩节对于素食主义者来说是个福音，素食主义者们不需要对标准菜单做太多调整，就可以和家人共享大餐了，因为除了烤火鸡外，还有甜土豆、玉米、蔓越莓酱、苹果饼、南瓜饼、烤南瓜、甘蓝、还有一大堆的应季小吃和餐后甜点，说的人口水都流出来的。当然，还有豆腐鸡（火鸡味儿的豆腐）或者其他的肉类替代品可以选择，不吃肉的朋友们也有口福啦。
总统的火鸡
从什么时候开始出现总统赦免火鸡的传统？这恐怕要追溯到杜鲁门、肯尼迪、老布什了。杜鲁门曾经在白宫门前接受过火鸡，这还拍了照，但不知道照完像后那只火鸡是落了某人的肚子还是回农场颐养天年了。
肯尼迪也在感恩节上获赠过火鸡，但他表示会“留着它”而不是吃了它。老布什也在感恩节上接受过火鸡，他发表了一段轻松的演说，提到他决定正式赦免那只火鸡，从那儿起火鸡被正式赦免的传统就开始了。
现在很多家庭在感恩节的时候会围坐在电视前看橄榄球赛、或啦啦队比赛、或者梅西感恩节大游行——也有的三个都看。梅西感恩节大游行（最初叫梅西圣诞游行）起源于1924年的纽约，这是为假期购物季造势的活动，自从1947年开始在电视上进行全国直播，这个节目收到全国电视观众的强烈关注。
有的家庭喜欢利用这4天的假日出游，或者进行家族团聚，或者外出度假，无论如何，感恩节前的那个周三的交通状况是最差的，无论是开车还是坐飞机，到处都人满为患。
由于密集出行导致的长时间的机场等待、高额票价、不可预知的天气、旅途中令人不快的争吵等，有的家庭最近在感恩节不愿意出远门了，宁愿在近郊游玩，或者在不那么拥挤的日子进行家族聚会。
对于感恩节在家过的家庭来说，也可以选择参加社区的庆祝活动或这公益活动，很多人自愿在这个节日去避难所、孤儿院或者其他慈善机构送温暖、做好事。
和孩子们一起庆祝感恩节
准备好了么？布置餐桌吧！
在节日的筹备期，让孩子参与菜单和食物的准备总是充满欢乐的，让孩子们摆桌子或者创造装饰方式是让他们帮忙的好方法，让他们把蜡笔、粉笔、标记和贴纸放到杯子里，鼓励客人装饰自己的位子，既可以布置孩子们的小饭桌也可以布置大人们的桌子，这会充满惊喜。
感恩节的诗歌和表演
孩子们喜欢写作或表演与感恩节有关的木偶剧或戏剧，这些剧都紧扣节日主题也会把节日气氛推向高潮。孩子们无论大小都喜欢唱歌，大点儿的孩子就背诵诗歌来纪念节日。
在节日期间读读感恩节的故事书也不错，安妮和利兹在1999年出过这么本书，在故事中，孩子们扮演第一餐感恩节餐中的印第安土著和清教徒，这引发一系列和感恩节有关的讨论、游戏、表演。孩子们聚在一起欢宴、写诗、创作故事，父母也可以参与，设定一个主题或者想法，让孩子们进行讨论。
晚餐游戏
有的家庭利用节日主题鼓励家庭成员谈谈自己该感谢的人或事，也让参加宴会的宾客分享值得自己感谢的人或事，这通常会引发多轮次的感谢。
这也可以转化为一个游戏，每个人把需要感谢的写个纸条，放在一个帽子里，大家轮番抓纸条念出来，大家猜纸条是谁写的。家长在感恩节上会感谢并嘱咐孩子，把手放在孩子头上，说出或冥想对孩子未来一年的祝愿。
关于其他更多关于感恩节的内容，可以查看我们的印刷品，我们也列出了很多感恩节图书，供你们与家人共享这个美好的节日。
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