Thanksgivi

ng Day

22

nd

November

2007

©Krysia i Alek
Wędrychowscy 2007

History

• The first Thanksgiving had place in 1621 in

Plymouth, Massachusetts.

• First settlers (who came on ship The

Myflower II) called Pilgrims set apart a
holiday immediately after their first harvest
in 1621. They held an autumn celebration
of food, feasting, and praising God.

• The first official Thanksgiving Proclamation

made in America was issued by the
Continental Congress in 1777.

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Wędrychowscy 2007

History

"The First Thanksgiving", painted by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris
(1863–1930).

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Wędrychowscy 2007

Modern Celebration

Much of the credit for the adoption of a later
annual national Thanksgiving Day may be
attributed to Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale, the
editor of Godey's Lady's Book. For thirty
years, she promoted the idea of a national
Thanksgiving Day, contacting President after
President, until President Abraham Lincoln
responded in 1863 by setting aside the last
Thursday of November as a national Day of
Thanksgiving. Over the next seventy-five
years,

Presidents

followed

Lincoln's

precedent, annually declaring a national
Thanksgiving Day. Then in 1941, Congress
permanently established the fourth Thursday
of each November as a national holiday.

Mrs. Sarah Josepha
Hale

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Wędrychowscy 2007

Celebration

•Parades

•Thanksgiving Dinner

•Turkey Pardoning

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Wędrychowscy 2007

Parades

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day
Parade (informally known as
the "Macy's Day Parade") is an
annual parade presented by
Macy's Department store.
The three-hour event is held in
New York City starting at 9:00
a.m. EST on Thanksgiving.
Other Parades are held in
Philadelphia,

Plymouth,

Massachusetts,

Seattle,

Washington, Houston, Texas,
Detroit, Michigan, and Fountain
Hills, Arizona.

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Wędrychowscy 2007

Parades

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Wędrychowscy 2007

Thanksgiving Dinner

The

centerpiece

of

contemporary
Thanksgiving in the United
States is a large meal,
centered around a large
roasted

turkey.

The

majority of the dishes in
the traditional American
version of Thanksgiving
Dinner are made from
foods native to the New
World,

according

to

tradition

the

Pilgrims

received these foods from
the

American

Indians.

However, many of the
classic traditions attributed
to the first Thanksgiving
are

actually

myths

introduced later.

©Krysia i Alek
Wędrychowscy 2007

Thanksgiving Dinner

Because turkey is the most
common main dish of a
Thanksgiving dinner,
Thanksgiving is sometimes
colloquially called Turkey Day.
The USDA estimated that 269
million turkeys were raised in
the country in 2003, about
one-sixth of which were
destined for a Thanksgiving
dinner plate.
Most Thanksgiving turkeys are
stuffed with a cereal-based
stuffing and roasted.
Turducken, a turkey stuffed
with a duck stuffed with a
chicken, is becoming more
popular, from its Cajun base in
Louisiana.

©Krysia i Alek
Wędrychowscy 2007

Thanksgiving Dinner

Many other foods are
served alongside the
main dish—so many
that, because of the
amount of food, the
Thanksgiving meal is
sometimes served
midday or early
afternoon to make time
for all the eating, and
preparation may begin
at dawn or on days prior.

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Wędrychowscy 2007

Thanksgiving Dinner

Traditional Thanksgiving foods
are sometimes specific to the
day, and although some of the
foods might be seen at any
semi-formal meal in the
United States, the meal often
has something of a ritual or
traditional quality. Many
Americans would say it's
"incomplete" without
cranberry sauce, stuffing, and
gravy. Other commonly served
dishes include sweet potatoes,
mashed potatoes, dumplings,
corn on the cob or hominey,
green beans or green bean
casserole, peas and carrots,
wheat flour bread rolls, and a
Waldorf salad.

cranberry
sauce

gravy

sweet potatoes

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Wędrychowscy 2007

Thanksgiving Dinner

For dessert, various pies are often served, particularly
apple pie, mincemeat pie, sweet potato pie, pumpkin
pie, and pecan pie, with the last three being
particularly American.

©Krysia i Alek
Wędrychowscy 2007

Turkey

Turkey is a most important detail
during the Thanksgiving Day. It is a
symbol of this holiday.

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Wędrychowscy 2007

National Thanksgiving Turkey

Presentation

National Thanksgiving Turkey
Presentation is a ceremony that
takes place at the White House
every year. The President of the
United States is presented with a live
turkey. Generally the National Turkey
Federation and the Poultry and Egg
National Board are involved. For
many years the president has
granted the turkey a "presidential
pardon". The turkey is then taken to
a farm where it may live out the rest
of its natural life. For many years the
turkeys were sent to Frying Pan Park
in Fairfax County, Virginia. Starting In
2005, the pardoned turkeys have
been sent to live in Disney World.

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Wędrychowscy 2007

National Thanksgiving Turkey

Presentation

Names of presidentially
pardoned turkeys:

• 2007 - Dinner &

Supper

• 2006 - Flyer & Fryer

• 2005 - Marshmallow &

Yam

• 2004 - Biscuit & Gravy

• 2003 - Stars & Stripes

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Wędrychowscy 2007

The End

Thank you for your attention.

©Krysia i Alek
Wędrychowscy 2007