Thanksgiving always screams family to me. It’s my favorite holiday.
Because I was born in Canada I get to celebrate this holiday twice and I don’t mind it a bit. In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated the second Monday in October. In the States we celebrate the 4th Thursday in November. That’s two turkeys and two steaming piles of mashed potatoes covered in gravy . Oh happy day!
This Thursday my family is celebrating a different kind of Thanksgiving. Most of the family is off doing their own thing. Cruises, trips across the country and jobs in Europe. We are spread out all over the world. And while almost everyone is traveling this year, I’m home. This Thanksgiving, it’s just me and my daughter and her grandmother. I’m making our entire dinner in a slow cooker – I know how that sounds, but I’m extremely excited about it. I’ve never actually cooked a turkey before. And it got me thinking; why is turkey the traditional thanksgiving feast?
Thanksgiving Traditions
Beyond what seems like a normal family dinner, our tradition has been to travel. In the last few years our entire family has gotten together and had adventures. But no matter where in the world we are, we usually find a turkey dinner…
The “first” Thanksgiving meal is said to have taken place in Plymouth in 1621. Edward Winslow’s first hand account of the celebration mentions wild fowl, but doesn’t actually say anything about turkey.
Thanksgiving celebrations were often declared by Presidents every year, and turkey was often the main dish, but it wasn’t a national holiday until President Lincoln made it so in 1863.
Thinking about it, turkey seems like a pretty good choice. They are larger than a chicken. And unlike the chicken, the turkey doesn’t really have any other utilitarian purpose.
And I read an article a few years ago that suggested Dicken’s A Christmas Carol may have helped highlight the turkey as a special holiday meal.
What are you thoughts? Why do you think the turkey has survived over 300 years of meal tradition?
Blueskies,
Tami