The Truth and Myths of Thanksgiving Traditions

When the word “Thanksgiving” comes to mind, the most popular thoughts are of turkey, stuffing, rolls, pumpkin pie, and being together as a family.

These ideas mainly pertain to modern-day Thanksgiving, but there are certain things that are almost always thought of when the first Thanksgiving is brought up-the Pilgrims, Squanto and the Native Americans, and overall harmony and happiness that the European settlers had survived their harsh first winter. While some of these ideas are correct, others are myths, and it’s time to set the record straight when it comes to the history and traditions of Thanksgiving.

The Myths

Today, turkey is the center of millions of Thanksgiving dinners. But at the first Thanksgiving, it’s likely the Pilgrims didn’t have turkey on the table at all. Instead, they had deer as the center of their meal, as well as waterfowl, lobster, ham, berries, squash, and other kinds of food that were readily available to them on the east coast. In fact, the turkey didn’t become a staple part of Thanksgiving until the mid-1800s. The food that appears on the dinner table each Thanksgiving has changed greatly over the years and still varies drastically by region and country today.

Many people also think of the relationship between the Native Americans and the Pilgrims as perfect and peaceful. But the fact is, when the Europeans arrived in the Americas, they brought diseases that the Native Americans weren’t accustomed to, and this resulted in widespread harm to them and to their populations. Additionally, the Native tribes and the Pilgrims often fought over land and resources, and these conflicts led to larger ones that ended up in death and bloodshed.

In fact, many Pilgrims felt that the Thanksgiving celebration was not one of peace, but one of how the Pilgrims had been triumphant in their battles against the Natives. As for the timing of Thanksgiving, although it is always celebrated on the last Thursday of November now, the first Thanksgiving probably happened in either October or September. And the title of “first Thanksgiving” may not be entirely accurate; the celebration that happened in Massachusetts is the first to resemble what we today call Thanksgiving, but it wasn’t made an official holiday until 1863.

The Truth

Turkey pardons have been popular ideas for years, and it is something that actually happens when Thanksgiving rolls around each year. The tradition was officially started by President Harry Truman, even though the rumor is that Abraham Lincoln began it by pardoning his son’s turkey. Going along with this tradition, George W. Bush pardoned two turkeys in 2007, and they ended up receiving a trip to Disney World, where they participated in Disney World’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

And, as mentioned above, the truth behind Thanksgiving is much darker than the innocent version many schoolchildren are told in their youth. The New England colonists fought with King Metacom and the Wampanoag tribes, and these battles, as well as the aforementioned diseases, resulted in many deaths on both sides, but especially for the Native Americans.

The colonists ended up killing or enslaving the majority of the Native Americans they fought. The harvest is what’s often remembered, not the tension and conflict that lead up to it, and that would eventually lead to the divide between the two groups. Some of these facts may not be the best ones to bring up at the dinner table this Thanksgiving, but no matter what you know or what you don’t know about the history of the holiday, enjoy whatever traditions you take part in.