Some facts and trivia to get you in the Thanksgiving Spirit

With all the focus on holiday shopping seeming to start earlier this year, I thought it would be fun to find some weird, interesting facts about Thanksgiving to turn our attention back to this day of appreciation.

 

• Indian corn, the dark purple/black corn is for decoration only and should NOT be eaten. Some Indians considered blue and white corn as sacred. 
• History states that only 5 women Pilgrims survived after the first year on the Plymouth Settlement.  They were the ones to prepare the first meal in 1621. It lasted three days.
• Thanksgiving wasn't actually signed as a National Holiday until 1941 when President Roosevelt signed the bill officially. Sarah Hale, editor of a women's magazine called "The Godey's Lady's Book", started pestering Congress when Abe Lincoln was president,  with letters and messages. She wanted a national Holiday in honor of the blessings the country has received based on the work of the Pilgrims. It upset people when he proclaimed it during his term because he did it just to lengthen the holiday shopping season. Thomas Jefferson thought Thanksgiving was the most "ridiculous idea" he had ever heard.
• The Pilgrims, or Puritans brought barrels of beer with them.
• The busiest travel day of the year is the day after Thanksgiving.
• The Mayflower was built to transport wine.
• There was no pumpkin pie on the first Thanksgivings.
• Over 40 million green bean casseroles are served every Thanksgiving.
• Columbus thought the land he had discovered was connected to India, and the wild birds he found to be a breed of peacocks, (they are actually a type of pheasant) So he named them "tuka" which is peacock in the Tamil language of India.  Native Americans called them "Firkee". ("Turkey" sounds like a combo of the two words!)
• Some say the Pilgrims ate deer and not turkey on the first Thanksgiving feast.

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Thanksgiving

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)



Sources:  purpleslinky.com;
coolest-holiday-parties.com; guy-sports.com