How well do you know Thanksgiving?

1. “Tuka”

When Christopher Columbus first landed on America he thought he was in India. He named the thanksgiving bird a turkey because of its origin “tuka” which means peacock in some parts of India.

2. Thanksgiving is for fasting

The pilgrims meant Thanksgiving to be a time of prayer and fasting in gratitude for their many blessings. It was the Native Americans who joined that introduced food and celebration to the occasion.

3. Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle All The Way

The song Jingle Bells was initially meant to be sung as a Thanksgiving song. It became such a hit that it was played over an over until Christmas and then stuck for years to come.

4. We eat Singapore

The average American will consume 4,000-6,000 calories on Thanksgiving day and a total 690 million pounds of turkey will be consumed which is the relative weight of the country of Singapore.

5. Where’s the Turkey?

The first Thanksgiving dinner consisted of clams, fish, nuts and a variety of other nontraditional dishes. Some believe there wasn’t even a turkey at the first feast!

6. National Mourning Day

Since 1970 a group of protestors gather at Plymouth Rock to remind us of the unfortunate events that followed this joist feast.

7. One will be spared

It’s still up for debate on who started the turkey pardon tradition but most agree that Lincoln was the first when he took pity on one lowly turkey his son had adopted as a pet.

8. Who brought the forks?

In all the chaos of packing for the new world the pilgrims somehow forgot to bring forks and so were left with spoons and knives to take on the first thanksgiving feast.

9. I am grateful for Sarah Hall!

We all have this woman to thank for this beautiful day off dedicated to food and thankfulness. Sarah Hall led a 36 yearlong letter campaign petitioning for the

Thanksgiving to be made a National Holiday, all her work and endless hand cramps finally paid off in 1863.