Thanksgiving and Some History
The Pilgrims first arrived in the Massachusetts area In November of 1620. They came ashore after 66 days at sea in November 1620. They fled England to pursue their religious beliefs and settle in a new world.
wild turkey
They didn’t, however, check in to the holiday inn or any hotels. They came ashore and needed to set up camp.
Original Pilgrims would have been thrilled to have these cooking accomodations
The original Pilgrims didn’t have the best time of year to be setting up camp. These Pilgrims, as hearty and self-sufficient as they were, were lacking our modern-day conveniences of weather forecasting, quick travel, and readily access to foods. They were doing more than camp, they were moving in.
This would be something that they would have forged tools and pots with
The Pilgrims benefited by bonding with some local Indians as their stay ensued. The Indians in the spring taught them to grow corn for the growing season. Today this corn has become a huge staple in our diets.
A Thanksgiving feast for them, following their tragic first winter, was filled with foods that were plentiful in the day.
There was a solemn appreciation and remembrance of their fallen family and neighbors with a feeling of hope that they were better prepared for this coming winter.
A general View of a Thanksgiving meal
They didn’t have power tools, excavators bulldozers, and had to forge nails and the tools that they would use. They likely brought along for the journey, pickaxes, saws, and shovels along with tools to build and forge.
They were building and moving into the home and community they were coming to. They likely were not prepared for the harsh New England winter they were about to experience. This was evident by the extreme illnesses and deaths to starvation they experienced.
The original Pilgrims didn’t have the best time of year to be setting up camp. These Pilgrims, as hearty and self-sufficient as they were, were lacking our modern-day conveniences of weather forecasting, quick travel, easy up shelter and ready access to foods. They were doing more than camp, they were moving in.
Large Turkeys, not on the menu for the original Thanksgiving
The blessings that the Pilgrims shared in the spirit of Thanksgiving is the same as ours. It would have to be stated that they suffered great hardship in comparison to our daily lives today.
The foods they would have eaten are different from many of our traditional meal options. These foods, to them, are as wonderful and tasteful as the ones we enjoy each year.
This comparison yields to the culture of food and its ability to share a moment of bonding people together in a time where people share space and time.
