TRADITION
In the musical “Fiddler on the Roof”, the opening number is the well-known song “Tradition”, sung by Tevye the milkman. Many things, which surround our lives, are based on traditions. When I checked online what was served at the First Thanksgiving in 1621, I learned that though there were turkeys around, pilgrims, who came from England, more likely had more familiar foul, like ducks, geese and even swans, which were plentiful in the region. They were welcomed by the local Native American Wampanoag tribe, who likely shared the food they ate with the newcomers.
For meat, it was deer, as well as sea food, such as bass, cod and shellfish, like fresh clams and mussels. Of course, there was corn, beans, squash, oats, herbs, nuts and fruits. And there were definitely no potatoes, nor cranberry sauce or pumpkin pies.
Then, where from did the tradition of eating turkey come from? Turned out that it was George Washington who encouraged Americans to celebrate the holiday, and Alexander Hamilton said, “No person should abstain from having turkey on Thanksgiving Day.” This was on October 3rd, 1789. There are also reasons for how cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie joined the Thanksgiving tradition, which you can explore on your own.
Meanwhile, I am going to share with you another Thanksgiving tradition. A husband noticed that his wife was cutting the ends of the holiday turkey. When he asked her about it, she referred him to her mom, who, in turn, sent him to her grandmother. “Why were you cutting both sides of the turkey?” he asked. “Well, this started many years ago. I had only one pot and it was too small for the turkey. So, I had to cut both ends of it to fit.”
What are your traditions?
The three images you that can see above are related to the holiday.
Enjoy and Share!