Interesting Thanksgiving Facts
Thanksgiving Day celebrates the harvest and blessings of the year.
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims in 16
3. President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.
The traditional Thanksgiving meal consists of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.
Thanksgiving parades, like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, are a popular tradition.
The average number of calories consumed per person on Thanksgiving Day is around 4,500.
While Thanksgiving is predominantly celebrated in the United States, Canada also celebrates it, but on a different date.
The origin of the custom of pardoning a turkey by the U.S. President is debated, but it became an official tradition in 1989.
Thanksgiving leftovers are a cherished part of the holiday, with many people making creative meals from leftover turkey.
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is known as the biggest shopping day of the year.
Thanksgiving is a time for families to come together and give thanks.
The wishbone tradition involves two people pulling on the bone, and the person who ends up with the larger piece gets to make a wish.
Many Native American tribes also celebrate Thanksgiving as a way to honor their heritage and traditions.
The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys have a long-standing tradition of playing football games on Thanksgiving.
The world’s largest pumpkin pie was made in 2010 and weighed over 3,699 pounds.
Interesting Thanksgiving Facts part 2
Thanksgiving is the busiest travel time of the year in the United States.
Sarah Josepha Hale, an influential American writer, campaigned for Thanksgiving to become a national holiday.
The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took place in 1924, featuring live animals from the Central Park Zoo.
The record for the longest Thanksgiving table was set in 2010, measuring over 316 feet.
Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude for all the blessings in our lives.
The top five states for turkey production in the U.S. are Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, and Missouri.
The sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is a popular Thanksgiving side dish.
The Pilgrims’ feast during the first Thanksgiving likely included fish, lobster, and venison instead of turkey.
The wishbone tradition dates back to the Etruscans, an ancient Italian civilization.
Other countries celebrate similar harvest festivals, such as Oktoberfest in Germany and the Moon Festival in China.
Thanksgiving was originally celebrated for three days.
The traditional Thanksgiving colors are orange, yellow, and brown.
The day before Thanksgiving is known as Black Wednesday due to its high alcohol sales.
Some families incorporate unique customs like everyone sharing one thing they are thankful for at the dinner table.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the date of Thanksgiving in 1939 to encourage more holiday shopping.
Cranberries are harvested in the fall and are a popular Thanksgiving ingredient.
The turducken, a dish consisting of a chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey, gained popularity in the 1980s.
Marking the beginning of the holiday season, Thanksgiving is often considered the unofficial start of Christmas shopping.
Thanksgiving traditionally signals the end of the autumn harvest season.
Some families serve a dish called turkey-free Thanksgiving, offering vegetarian alternatives.
Turkey was not part of the original Thanksgiving meal; it became a staple later on.
Thanksgiving Day parades were popularized by department stores as a way to attract customers.
The largest turkey-producing state in the United States is Minnesota.
The horn of plenty, also known as the cornucopia, is a symbol of abundance and is often associated with Thanksgiving.
The famous song Over the River and Through the Woods is about going to visit the writer’s grandparents for Thanksgiving.
Some people participate in turkey trots, which are fun runs or walks held on Thanksgiving morning.
In 1953, Swanson introduced the first TV dinner, which included a Thanksgiving meal, inspiring convenient holiday meals.
Wild turkeys can fly, run, and swim, while domesticated turkeys are heavier and cannot fly.
The term Thanksgiving first appeared in a text written by Edward Winslow in 16
Native Americans had their own ceremonies and festivals to give thanks for the harvest before the arrival of the Pilgrims.