WHY CHOOSE TURKEY AS THANKSGIVING DINNER
Why Turkey?
Sitting at the Thanksgiving dinner, have you ever wondered “Why turkey is always ‘the queen of the table?’ How come?
Thanksgiving History
Timeline of Thanksgiving in America
- 1541 - Spanish explorer, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, led a thanksgiving Communion celebration at the Palo Duro Canyon, West Texas.
- 1565 - Pedro Menendez de Aviles and 800 settlers gathered for a meal with the Timucuan Indians in the Spanish colony of St. Augustine, Florida.
- 1621 - Pilgrims and Native Americans celebrated a harvest feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
- 1630 - Settlers observed the first Thanksgiving of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in New England on July 8, 1630.
- 1777 - George Washington and his army on the way to Valley Forge, stopped in blistering weather in open fields to observe the first Thanksgiving of the new United States of America.
- 1789 - President Washington declared November 26, 1789, as a national day of "thanksgiving and prayer."
- 1800s - The annual presidential thanksgiving proclamations ceased for 45 years in the early 1800s.
- 1863 - President Abraham Lincoln resumed the tradition of Thanksgiving proclamations in 1863. Since this date, Thanksgiving has been observed annually in the United States.
- 1941 - President Roosevelt established the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.
Turkey Day Trivia
The centerpiece of most Thanksgiving feasts in the United States is a large roasted turkey, appropriately giving the holiday the nickname "Turkey Day." Another tradition associated with the Thanksgiving turkey, is "making a wish" with the wishbone. The person who happens to get the wishbone in their slice of turkey, chooses another family member to join them in making a wish as they each hold one piece of the breastbone.
They make a wish and then break the bone. The tradition says, whoever ends up holding the larger piece of bone, will have their wish come true.
Presidential Turkey
Each Thanksgiving Day since 1947, the President of the United States has been presented with three turkeys by the National Turkey Federation. One live turkey is pardoned and gets to live the rest of its life on a quiet farm; the other two are dressed for the Thanksgiving meal.