Over the river and through the woods,
To Grandfather’s house away!
We would not stop for doll or top,
For ’tis Thanksgiving Day.
– “The New-England Boy’s Song about Thanksgiving Day”
In a few short weeks, Americans will gather around the dinner table, loosen their belts, and stuff themselves fuller than the deep-fried, baked, braised or boiled (like the Pilgrims may have) turkey that serves as the culinary star of the fourth Thursday of November feast better known as Thanksgiving.
An homage to the long mythicized 1621 three-day meal between the Pilgrims and the native Wampanoag people in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the modern precursor of Thanksgiving began, according to , 鈥渨ith a few colonists going out 鈥榝owling,鈥� possibly for turkeys but more probably for the easier prey of geese and ducks, since they 鈥榠n one day killed as much as鈥erved the company almost a week.鈥� Next, 90 or so Wampanoag made a surprise appearance at the settlement鈥檚 gate, doubtlessly unnerving the 50 or so colonists. Nevertheless, over the next few days the two groups socialized without incident. The Wampanoag contributed venison to the feast, which included the fowl and probably fish, eels, shellfish, stews, vegetables, and beer. Since Plymouth had few buildings and manufactured goods, most people ate outside while sitting on the ground or on barrels with plates on their laps. The men fired guns, ran races, and drank liquor, struggling to speak in broken English and Wampanoag.鈥�
Years later, urged by Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Godey鈥檚 Lady鈥檚 Book, a popular magazine, President Abraham Lincoln on October 3, 1863 proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday. In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation cementing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.
Between 1621 and 1942, Thanksgiving collected new traditions. Turkey day football kicked off in 1876 with a tilt between Yale and Princeton. The annual Macy鈥檚 parade first took flight with billowy balloons in 1927. And, course, Thanksgiving no longer is complete without the annual cavalcade of gridlock that traditionally makes Thanksgiving the busiest auto travel day of the year.
Today, modern Thanksgiving has evolved into a festival of the four F鈥檚: Food, folks, fun and football.
Below, several members of the 海角社区 community share their favorite Thanksgiving traditions.
For sophomore Grace Hicks, Thanksgiving means a trip to Selma, Alabama to 鈥済randma鈥檚 to eat a great meal of turkey, veggies, fruit salad, stuffing and assorted desserts.鈥� Her grandmother, Hicks said, 鈥渄oes most of the cooking, but sometimes I do help if we get there in time since my parents live an hour and a half away from her. She makes different desserts every year.鈥�
Freshman Sam Reilly鈥檚 clan makes the pilgrimage to Troutman, North Carolina to spend the holiday with her aunt. They feast, watch football, and the following day sled into Christmas season by watching 鈥淔rosty the Snowman.鈥�
Junie Robinson 鈥渓iked when I would go to Boston, Massachusetts鈥� to visit Robinson鈥檚 grandfather.听 On the days before Thanksgiving, Robinson, a sophomore, 鈥渨ould watch Barbie movies鈥� and on the big day would sit around with the paternal relatives soaking up together time.
In a way, the Stone family鈥檚 Thanksgiving tradition revisits outdoorsy nature of the 1621 gathering.
鈥淲e camp all week at our local state park,鈥� said Monica Morse Stone, mom to Augustina Stone, a freshman. 鈥淚t’s been our tradition for this will be our 15th year. It’s awesome because no electronics and we play board games to connect.鈥�