America's first Thanksgiving in 1621 was really a Harvest Home celebration, rejoicing the settlers' first harvest. A day of thanksgiving was a very pious day for them, which would include fasting and prayer. Feasting would have been out of the question. It also was about a month earlier than the November holiday we celebrate today. That first meal was pieless since they had no sugar or molasses. A potato would not have been in sight, as Europeans of that time thought potatoes to be poisonous. No silverware was on the table, bare hands were used to convey the food to the face. Turkey was probably not served. The fowl mentioned was more likely geese and ducks.
Speaking of turkeys, many mention the fact that Ben Franklin proposed this bird as our national symbol over the bald eagle. He did mention that in a letter to his daughter, but it was more than likely a joke. As with his daylight saving idea, later biographers took Ben's bagatelles more seriously that he did.
Next up on my "things that weren't so" hit list are the words pilgrim and Puritans. The people of Plimouth Plantation did not consider themselves Puritans. Puritans wanted to "purify" the Church of England of it papist trappings. This group felt the Puritans weren't doing enough and separated from the church. They called themselves Separatists and more informally "the godly." As for pilgrims, William Bradford does mention they were "strangers and pilgrims" in this new land. However, the first Thanksgiving folk were not regularly referred to by this term until about 150 years after that initial feast. The term, new land, ignores the people who had lived there for a millennium, but that for another time.
Of course, none of these misconceptions tarnish the tradition of giving thanks for everything life has bestowed on us. - as ever - BB
"Thanksgiving day is the one day that is purely American." - O Henry
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