1. The first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Mass., starred the Pilgrims, Squanto and the friendly Wampanoag tribe led by Massasoit, who celebrated a bountiful harvest and the promise of making it through the harsh New England winter.
2. Squanto was a Patuxet Indian who almost singlehandedly saved the first Pilgrims from starving to death. He taught them how to catch eels and trap fish during their spring run, plant corn and pumpkins and trap beavers. He helped the Pilgrims despite having been captured and sold into slavery by an English sea captain. According to Peter Marshall and David Manuel in The Light and the Glory, Squanto was shipped to Malaga, Spain, where he was rescued by local friars, and eventually returned to Plymouth, where he discovered not one member of his tribe was left alive.
3. During that first Thanksgiving celebration, the Wampanoags brought to the feast fat wild turkeys and introduced the Pilgrims to a local delicacy called popcorn.
4. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving in October, not November. In 1941, Congress issued a national proclamation setting our observance of Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November.
5. During the winter of 1621-22, an influx of new settlers eventually forced the pilgrims to live on a daily ration of five kernels of corn a piece. At the next Thanksgiving, It was noted, "the first course that was served: on an empty plate in front of each person were five kernels of corn... lest anyone should forget."
Just thought you might be interested...and also, I had nothing else (that I didn't need pictures for) to post about.
3 comments:
You are so wise.
That was fun to read. Also, I really like your music. Who sings it?
That was delightful !!
It never hurts to remember why one should be greatful...and sadly how quickly we can forget.
Love you
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