Thanksgiving Facts & Trivia | Fun Facts About Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Day is one of those joyous events we celebrate with lots of love and gratitude. Its
a very significant day in United States and the world over. TheHolidaySpot is happy
to bring you facts associated to the Thanksgiving celebrations. These include
Thanksgiving turkey trivia, pilgrims, thanksgiving proclamation, thanksgiving
as a national holiday and other things. These facts and trivia will not only enhance
your knowledge about Thanksgiving Day, but also, let you share them with everyone
who would like to enjoy the Day with more zeal and enjoyment. Happy Thanksgiving!
Pilgrims and Indians are celebrating Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Facts & Trivia :
- Thanksgiving
Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States. - By the fall of 1621 only half of the pilgrims, who had sailed on the Mayflower,
survived. The survivors, thankful to be alive, decided to give a thanksgiving
feast. - Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada.
- The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate the Thanksgiving.
- The pilgrims arrived in North America in December 1620.
- The Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to reach North America.
- The pilgrims sailed on the ship, which was known by the name of ‘Mayflower’.
- They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day in the fall of 1621.
- Thanksgiving became a national, US holiday 200 years later, by President Lincon in 1863. The campaign to make it a national holiday by sending letters lasted for 17 long years. Credit goes to Sarah Josepha Hale, the lady, who also wrote the popular song “Mary had a Little Lamb”.
- The pilgrims did not serve pumpkin pie, Rather, they made stewed pumpkin at the first Thanksgiving feast.
- They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
- The drink that the Puritans brought with them in the Mayflower was the beer.
- The Wampanoag Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate
the land. - The Pilgrim leader, Governor William Bradford, had organized the first Thanksgiving
feast in the year 1621 and invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians also to the
feast. - The first Thanksgiving feast was held in the presence of around ninety Wampanoag
Indians and the Wampanoag chief, Massasoit, was also invited there. - The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days.
- President George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving Day Proclamation
in the year 1789 and again in 1795. - The state of New York officially made Thanksgiving Day an annual custom in 1817.
- Sarah Josepha Hale, an editor with a magazine, started a Thanksgiving campaign
in 1827 and it was result of her efforts that in 1863 Thanksgiving was observed
as a day for national thanksgiving and prayer. - Abraham Lincoln issued a ‘Thanksgiving Proclamation’ on third October 1863 and
officially set aside the last Thursday of November as the national day for Thanksgiving.
Whereas earlier the presidents used to make an annual proclamation to specify
the day when Thanksgiving was to be held. - President Franklin D. Roosevelt restored Thursday before last of November as Thanksgiving
Day in the year 1939. He did so to make the Christmas shopping season longer and
hus stimulate the economy of the state. - Congress passed an official proclamation in 1941 and declared that now onwards
Thanksgiving will be observed as a legal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November
every year. - At the original Thanksgiving, there was no milk, cheese, bread, butter, mashed potatoes, corn or pumpkin pie.
- It has been estimated that 88% of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving.
- The famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began in the 1920’s.
- According to Guinness World Records, the largest pumpkin pie ever baked was 12 feet in diameter and 2,020 pounds.
- No turkey or spoons were there in the first thanksgiving.
- You might find it hard to believe, but the first thanksgiving was pure vegeterian, with pumpkins and cranberries.
- President Pardons a turkey
Every year, the president officially pardons a turkey from being killed for dinner. The tradition started with president truman in 1945, and continues till this day. - Tradition of football on Thanksgiving day
Classic thanksgiving games were started in 1920 by the NFL, and since then, the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions have hosted games on turkey day. Very late, in 2006, it saw addition of a third game with other teams taking part - About 46 million turkeys are eaten in America for Thanksgiving dinner.
- The state of California consumes the most amout of turkey.
- According to the Guinness Book of Records, The heaviest turkey on record weighs 86 pounds, but the average turkey weighs about 15 pounds.
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