thanksgiving facts and fun

How To Make thanksgiving facts and fun

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  Abraham Lincoln Sets November Thanksgiving Day Sarah Hale, a magazine editor, campaigned tirelessly for a national Thanksgiving day. Hale wrote in Godey's Lady's Book, eventually Sarah's idea caught the president's eye and in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the idea of November Thanksgiving, to be precise, that last Thursday in November would be a national day of Thanksgiving. In addition: Sarah Hale petitioned for a national Thanksgiving holiday for close to 40 years, believing that "Thanksgiving, like the Fourth of July, should be considered a national festival and observed by all our people."
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  There are only two contemporary accounts of the 1621 Thanksgiving: First is Edward Winslow's account, which he wrote in a letter dated December 12, 1621. "The complete letter was first published in 1622. "Our corn [i.e. wheat] did prove well, and God be praised, we had a good increase of Indian corn, and our barley indifferent good, but our peas not worth the gathering, for we feared they were too late sown. They came up very well, and blossomed, but the sun parched them in the blossom. Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."
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  The second description was written about twenty years after the fact by William Bradford in his History Of Plymouth Plantation. Bradford's History was rediscovered in 1854 after having been taken by British looters during the Revolutionary War. Its discovery prompted a greater American interest in the history of the Pilgrims. It is also in this account that the Thanksgiving turkey tradition is founded. "They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercising in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides they had about a peck of meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports."
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  Macy's November Thanksgiving Traditions Originally known as Macy's Christmas Parade—to signify the launch of the Christmas shopping season—the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade took place in New York City in 1924. It was launched by Macy's employees and featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. Today, some 3 million people attend the annual parade and another 44 million watch it on television. Tony Sarg, a children's book illustrator and puppeteer, designed the first giant hot air balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1927. He later created the elaborate mechanically animated window displays that grace the façade of the New York store from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Snoopy has appeared as a giant balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade more times than any other character in history. Old timers say they used to release balloons with prizes for those who found the balloon. Many think it would be great if Macy's resurrected the tradition.
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  History of the Cornucopia A cornucopia, pronounced korn-yoo-KO-pee-uh, is a horn-shaped container. It is a time-honored symbol, long associated with Thanksgiving, that symbolizes abundance. It is also known as the "horn of plenty" and is usually filled with an assortment of the Earth's harvest. Although it is usually a symbol of Thanksgiving, it was symbolic well before this holiday existed. The word 'cornucopia' actually dates back to the 5th century BC. It derives from two Latin words: "cornu," meaning horn (as in the name of that one-horned creature, the "unicorn") and "copia," meaning plenty. Thus, "cornucopia" literally means horn of plenty, and the names are used interchangeably. Today, the cornucopia often finds its way to the Thanksgiving table as a centerpiece. It is made like a basket and filled to overflowing with fresh flowers and fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Many people have such a basket that they bring annually to their local flower shop to be filled anew with a harvest of seasonal products. A cornucopia is a perfect symbol of gratitude for all that we have - and all that we wish to share. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2886766
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  Thanksgiving Jokes Why did they let the turkey join the band? Because he had the drumsticks Why don’t you see many turkeys in church? They can’t control their FOWL mouths What's the best dance to do on Thanksgiving? The turkey trot What kind of weather does a turkey like? Fowl weather What sound does a turkey's phone make? wing, wing What's the sleepiest thing at the Thanksgiving Table? nap-kins What female is always asked to say the Thanksgiving blessing? Grace
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  Thanksgiving Prayers Psalm 100 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into God's presence with singing! Know that the Lord is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name! For the Lord is good; For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations. 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) Anne Frank "I do not think of all the misery, but of the glory that remains. Go outside into the fields, nature and the sun, go out and seek happiness in yourself and in God. Think of the beauty that again and again discharges itself within and without you and be happy." John F. Kennedy "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
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  Top Thanksgiving Movies: Miracle on 34th Street (1947) -shown each year, on Thanksgiving Day Plymouth Adventure (1952) Mouse on the Mayflower (1968) A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973) Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) Dutch (1991) Son-In-Law (1993) Home For the Holidays (1995) Pocahontas (1995) What's Cooking? (2000) Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower (2006) An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving (2009) A Family Thanksgiving (2010) Trail of Tears - A Native American Documentary Collection (2010)
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  Largest Pumpkin Pie According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pumpkin pie ever baked weighed 2,020 pounds and measured just over 12 feet long. It was baked on October 8, 2005 by the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers in Ohio, and included 900 pounds of pumpkin, 62 gallons of evaporated milk, 155 dozen eggs, 300 pounds of sugar, 3.5 pounds of salt, 7 pounds of cinnamon, 2 pounds of pumpkin spice and 250 pounds of crust. Pumpkins Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and New York are the major pumpkin growing states, together they produced 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkin in 2010. Total U.S. production was over 1.5 billion pounds.
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  Turkey for Thanksgiving According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America, with a planned production total of 46.5 million in 2011. Six states—Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, Virginia, and Indinia—account for nearly two-thirds of the 248 million turkeys that will be raised in the U.S. this year. The National Turkey Federation estimated that 46 million turkeys—one fifth of the annual total of 235 million consumed in the United States in 2007—were eaten at Thanksgiving. In a survey conducted by the National Turkey Federation, nearly 88 percent of Americans said they eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds, which means some 690 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the U.S. during Thanksgiving in 2007.
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