Fundoo Times
Here are some most interesting Thanksgiving facts and amazing Thanksgiving trivia.

Thanksgiving Trivia

Regarded as a time to get together with family, friends, and loved ones, Thanksgiving Day is one of the most significant festivals celebrated in America. Basically a harvest festival, Thanksgiving Day is observed on the fourth Thursday in the month of November every year. Relishing large amounts of lavish meals, viewing some exciting football, and offering thanks for Lord's blessings are some common and popular customs practiced on this holiday. All in all, Thanksgiving Day is a party time in the whole of America. Infuse in some additional fun to your Thanksgiving holidays with facts and trivia about this merrymaking occasion. Gather all your family members at the dinner table and let everyone enjoy some unknown and bizarre facts on the celebration of Thanksgiving. Here is a compilation of some interesting facts about Thanksgiving Day, sure to surprise you and add to your knowledge about this luxuriant occasion.
  • The festival of Thanksgiving is a blend of different traditions, including ancient harvest festivals, devout New England Puritan thanksgiving, traditional harvest celebrations of England and New England, and the ever-changing political and ideological assumptions of the Native Americans.
  • Thanksgiving Day can occur on any day from November 22 to November 28, including both the dates.
  • The first Thanksgiving celebration can be traced back to the Plymouth Pilgrims in the fall of 1621.
  • The first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated by the Plymouth pilgrims, who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to reach North America, at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
  • The ship on which the pilgrims sailed was named ‘Mayflower’.
  • The first Thanksgiving feast was organized in 1621 by the pilgrim leader, Governor William Bradford for 50 surviving pilgrims and invited 90 Wampanoag Indians, residing nearby, to accompany the pilgrims at the feast.
  • The first Thanksgiving feast comprised of lobster, rabbit, chicken, fish, squashes, beans, chestnuts, hickory nuts, onions, leeks, dried fruits, maple syrup and honey, radishes, cabbage, carrots, eggs, and goat cheese.
  • Foods not present on the first Thanksgiving feast table were mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies, popcorn, milk, corn on the cob, and cranberries, which are typical to the present day Thanksgiving meals.
  • The first Thanksgiving celebration in 1621 lasted for three days.
  • The Wampanoag chief Massasoit and ninety of his tribesmen were also invited to the first thanksgiving feast. Governor William Bradford invited them for helping the Pilgrims surviving and teaching them the skills of cultivating the land.
  • The first ‘National Day of Thanksgiving’ was proclaimed by President George Washington in 1789.
  • Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, campaigned to make Thanksgiving a National Holiday in 1827 and succeeded.
  • Abraham Lincoln announced Thanksgiving as a national holiday in his proclamation on October 3, 1863.
  • The ‘wishbone’ of the turkey is used in a good luck ritual on Thanksgiving Day.
  • Beer was the drink brought by the Puritans to Mayflower, along with them.
  • Americans consume about 535 million pounds of turkey on a particular Thanksgiving Day, with the Californians being the largest eaters.
  • 15 pounds is the average weight of a turkey purchased every year, with 70% being white meat and remaining 30% dark meat.
  • The leftover turkey is served in five most popular ways - as a sandwich, in stew, chili or soup, casserole, as a burger.
  • A group of Native Americans and their supporters visit the Cole Hill in Plymouth to mark a National Day of Mourning, on every Thanksgiving.