HAPPY THANKSGIVING

‍ ‍ The first Thanksgiving, October 1621, was not just a feast; it was a 3-day

                         harvest festival organized by Governor William Bradford, to thank the

                         Wampanoag guests for teaching the Pilgrims how to catch the local fish,

                         how to hunt, how to tap maple trees, how to plant corn and pumpkins, etc.

                         Wild turkeys were plentiful, so were likely included in the feasting, as were

                         venison, cod, bass, geese and ducks, corn, barley and cornbread. The

                         celebrants feasted, played games, sang and danced.                

~ Although Native Americans are usually depicted wearing blankets at the first Thanksgiving, they actually wore deerskin and fur.

~ Native Americans did not eat cranberries. They did, however, use them for dyeing and for decorating pottery.

~ The cranberry is a symbol of peace. Originally called crane berry, it derived it’s name from its pink blossoms and drooping head, which reminded the Pilgrims of a crane.

~ General George Washington called for a day of thanksgiving on December 18, 1777, as a victory celebration for the colonial army’s win during the Battle of Saratoga that October. Thomas Jefferson signed a proclamation for a day of “Thanksgiving and Prayer,” to be held on December 9, 1779. President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, to be held the last Thursday in November.

~ 91% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving. 50% put the stuffing inside the turkey. The ‘wishbone’ of the turkey is commonly used in a good luck ritual on Thanksgiving Day.

~ Stuffing or dressing? Dressing is typically made from dry bread cubes or day-old cornbread, and is cooked outside the bird. Stuffing is made from dry bread cubes and cooked inside the bird.

~ Turducken, an alternative to the traditional turkey, is a deboned turkey stuffed with a deboned duck, which is stuffed with a small deboned chicken.

~ Almost 8 in 10 Americans agree that leftover turkey sandwiches, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pie beat out the big meal itself, according to a Harris Poll. 

~ A mix-up inspired the first TV dinners. In 1953, a Swanson employee accidentally ordered 260 tons of Thanksgiving turkeys. To get rid of them, Gerry Thomas came up with the idea of filling 5000 aluminum trays with turkey, cornbread dressing, gravy, peas, and sweet potatoes. They were sold as TV dinners, for 98 cents, and were a hit. Within one year, over 10 million were sold.

~ Pardoned turkeys have gone on to do some cool things. Abraham Lincoln pardoned the first turkey in 1863, according to White House records, and it’s now a tradition. But what happened to the lucky birds? Two were sent to Disneyland and Disney World and served as grand marshal in Thanksgiving parades. Others vacationed at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia, Gobbler’s Rest, and some went to petting zoos and farms.

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How did Friday the 13th become such an unlucky day?

Friday the 13th occurs at least once every year. In 2026, there are three Friday the 13th occurrences, which is the maximum possible in a single year, falling in February, March, and November. This rarity last occurred in 2015 and happens again in 2037. Any month starting on a Sunday always has a Friday the 13th.

·         More than 80% of high-rises lack a 13th floor.

·         Airplanes have no 13th aisle. Many airports skip the 13th gate.

·         Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13.

·         Italians omit the number 13 from their national lottery.

·         Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue.

·         In the Middle Ages, people would not marry, or set out on a journey, on a Friday.

·         On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between numbers 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 ½.

·         In France, socialites known as the fourteeners (quatorziens) once made themselves as the 14th guest, to prevent a dinner party from having an unlucky fate.

·         Many triskaidekaphobia, as those who fear the unlucky number 13 are known, point to the ill-fated mission to the moon, Apollo 13.

Most of us would probably agree that the role of superstition in Western culture is now much diminished, and is more a source of amusement than anything else. However, there are still those who consider the number 13 to be unlucky, Friday to be unlucky, and combine the two to make one super unlucky day.

There is a Biblical reference to the unlucky number 13: Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest at the Last Supper.

It is believed that Eve tempted Adam with the apple on Friday. It is also believed that the Flood in the Bible, the confusion at the Tower of Babel, and the death of Jesus Christ all took place on a Friday.

There is a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party at Valhalla, their heaven. In walked the mischievous Loki, the uninvited 13th guest. Once there, Loki arranged for Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder the Beautiful, the god of gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Balder died and the earth got dark. The whole earth mourned.

A particularly bad Friday the 13th occurred in the Middle Ages. In 1306, King Philip of France arrested the revered Knights Templar and tortured them, marking the day as a day of evil.

Both Friday and the number 13 were once closely associated with capital punishment. In British tradition, Friday was the day for public hangings, and there were supposedly 13 steps leading to the noose.

In ancient Rome, witches reportedly gathered in groups of 12. The 13th was believed to be the devil.

The word for Friday comes from Frigga, an ancient Scandinavian fertility and love goddess. Christians called Frigga a witch and Friday the witches’ Sabbath. In modern times, the slasher-movie franchise Friday the 13th has helped keep friggatriskaidekaphobia (fear of Friday the 13th) alive.

Sources: EarthSky.org, snopes.com

FRIDAY THE 13TH