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Thanksgiving
The Thanksgiving holiday or celebration is in fact celebrated in many countries. Thanksgiving is essentially a harvest related festival and celebrates the harvest when it is completed and the work is done. Worldwide, harvest celebrations are observed with different names and at different times depending on the harvest season of the country. Ask questions here about the origin and traditions surrounding Thanksgiving such as foods served, giving thanks, and parades.
2,230 Questions
What sporting event was part of early Thanksgiving celebrations?
they played a game related to baseball
What makes us sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner?
That's what happens when you eat too much turkey, mashed potatoes, beans, and gravy.
Scientists believe that the tryptophan in the turkey (an essential amino acid found in poultry) triggers sleepiness by increasing the levels of serotonin and/or melatonin in the brain.
It's also possible that the environment surrounding the dinner itself (spent in a cozy and trusting family environment, generally after a day of football, cooking and other activities) also lends itself to drifting to sleep.
How long is the macy's Thanksgiving parade?
The Macy's Thanksgiving parade in 2011 will be held on Thursday, November 24th, 2011 at 9am - 12pm EST. Therefore, it is estimated to be 3 hours long.
How many turkeys will be puchased for Thanksgiving this year?
In 2009 45 million turkeys were cooked and eaten for thanksgiving.
The day after Thanksgiving has always been the traditional start to holiday shopping. Over the years retailers have offered discounts on that day to lure shoppers into their stores.
The Black Friday as we know it today (long lines of people outside stores at 5am or even midnight) didn't gain popularity until the end of the 20th Century.
It had been a long standing tradition to have big sales starting the day after Christmas. It was during the Carter years that retailers tried jump starting the holiday shopping season with super sales on the day after Thanksgiving due to a predicted slump in Christmas gift sales. The previous year the "Day After Christmas" sale had pulled many retailers out of red ink as cash strapped shoppers took in the bargains after a disappointing Christmas season.
Double digit inflation and high unemployment after the Nixon/Ford years had put the nix on spending for luxury items like expensive gifts.
These sales were intended to get would be shoppers motivated and into the stores and re-igniting the "Christmas gift giving spirit"
The plan worked and became an American tradition known as Black Friday as shoppers lined up outside in the predawn darkness all across the country.
The term "Black Friday" was coined in the 1960s to mark the kickoff to the Christmas shopping season. "Black" refers to stores moving from the "red" to the "black," back when accounting records were kept by hand, and red ink indicated a loss, and black a profit. Ever since the start of the modern Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the Friday after Thanksgiving has been known as the unofficial start to a bustling holiday shopping season.
How many days was this first harvest celebration of thanksgiving.?
It all depends on the year. For example if its 2011 the first thanksgiving was 392 years ago.
Pumpkin pie- lack of flour, sugar and spices. Also no turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes or green bean casserole.
What was the food in the first Thanksgiving?
Little is actually known about the foods that were served at the first Thanksgiving. We have only one written account from an eyewitness, a letter Edward Winslow wrote to a friend in England. From that, we know that the Indians brought five deer and the pilgrims hunted fowl for the feast.
The rest is pieced together from what is known about foods that were available at that time.
Foods that were served at the first Thanksgiving are thought to have been:
- Fish
- Lobsters
- Eel
- Mussels
- Oysters
- Corn
- Parsnips
- Collards
- Turnips
- Spinach
- Onions
- Dried Beans
- Dried Blueberries
- Grapes
- Nuts
- pumpkin
- squash
- wild fowl
- deer
Foods that would not have been served at the first Thanksgiving are:
- Turkey, though it was often eaten by the Wampanoag and pilgrims and it is known from Winslow's letter that wild fowl was served, turkey is not mentioned specifically. The wild fowl may or may not have been turkey.
- Popcorn, though corn was abundant, it was not popped.
- Cranberry Sauce, though they would add cranberries to recipes for tartness, cranberry sauce did not appear until the 1670s.
- Potatoes, white potatoes were virtually unknown in England at the time of the first Thanksgiving. Sweet potatoes were imported to England from Spain and were used only by the ultra wealthy.
- Pumpkin Pie - At the time of the feast, there were no ingredients available to make the crust. Pumpkin and squash would have been served as vegetables only.
- Apples - Apples were not present in 1621 in Plymouth.
Since a letter written by Edward Winslow to a friend in England is the only eyewitness account of the first Thanksgiving, little is known for sure about the foods eaten. From his letter, we know that the Native Americans brought five deer and the pilgrims hunted wild fowl.
Other foods that are likely to have been eaten are:
- Fish
- Lobsters
- Eel
- Mussels
- Oysters
- Corn
- Parsnips
- Collards
- Turnips
- Spinach
- Onions
- Dried Beans
- Dried Blueberries
- Grapes
- Nuts
- pumpkin
- squash
- deer
The Pilgrims didn't have ovens so there were very few sweets such as cakes or pies, but they did have bread which they cooked on flat stones over a fire. The main course of the pilgrims' food was meat such as venison, turkey, pigs, and chicken. There were also some sea food like lobsters and eels. Other than that there was corn, cranberrys, potatos, carrots, and mabe some wild black berries.
There were no potatoes served.
Food eaten at the first Thanksgiving included wild game like deer, fowl (not necessarily turkey), fish, lobster and vegetables, like corn, that were harvested from their crops. Though desserts are served today, it is not likely that they had them at the first Thanksgiving.
fish
Why is Thanksgiving celebrated in fall?
Back in Colonial America the pilgrims and the Native Americans had a feast and gave thanks for it. Since then Americans give thnaks to everything in our lives.
How is the date of Thanksgiving determined?
On the fourth Thursday of November.
Occasionally the cheesecake factory will have a big sign out that shows you that thanksgiving is on Thursday the 4th of November! :)
Why is Thanksgiving only celebrated in the United States?
The way America knows the thanksgiving story, yes The story about the Pilgrems and the Indians sharing a feast and growing corn, happened in America so theyre the ones that celebrate on the same day every year
Other countries, however usually do have a day of thanks for what they have and what there country has survived, but not for the same reasons or on the same day as the Americans
What percent of cranberries are eaten on Thanksgiving?
During Thanksgiving, approximately 20 percent of cranberries were eaten by American. On a yearly, basis American consume about 400 million pounds.
How many calories does a person consume on thanksgiving day?
From food, about 3,000 calories on average. Drinks can vary, depending if they consume alcohol, soda, juices, or just water.
Is Black Friday the day after Thanksgiving?
The day after thanksgiving has never been proclaimed a legal holiday, although many businesses treat it as such by giving their employees the day off.
There is no record for the maximum weight of a turkey purchased for Thanksgiving. There largest turkey on record weighed 86 pounds and was auctioned off at a charity auction. The average turkey sold for Thanksgiving weighs 15 pounds.
Who created the Thanksgiving holiday?
William Bradford,
William Bradford mentioned the first Thanksgiving with the Native Americans
What two teams play football game each year on Thanksgiving?
The Dallas Cowboys will host the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving Day, 2010 at 4:15 p.m.
There are three games on Thanksgiving Day, 2010 (times are Eastern standard):
The Detroit Lions host the NE Patriots at 12:30 on CBS;
the Dallas Cowboys host the NO Saints at 4:15 on FOX;
the NY Jets host the Cincinnati Bengals at 8:20 on the NFL Network.
