Thanksgiving Day is a time to gather with family and friends to thank GOD for the many blessings bestowed by him on the nation and its citizens. However, to many people, its meaning is lost. It has become simply another day for huge meals, dinner parties, get-togethers or reunions. What does Thanksgiving mean to you? Do you really know what this day represents?



THANKSGIVING AND TURKEY- THE AFFILIATION

Thanksgiving Day is commonly associated with turkey -- so much so, that Thanksgiving is sometimes referred to as Turkey Day. Legend says that turkey was served at the original Thanksgiving meal; in order to maintain the tradition, turkey continues to be eaten at Thanksgiving today. Although juicy and tender butterball turkeys are the main cuisine of today's Thanksgiving celebrations, these birds were NOT the most popular centerpieces on the first Thanksgiving tables. In 1621 when the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians celebrated the first Thanksgiving, they were gobbling up many more food than just turkey. Since lobster, goose, duck, seal, eel, and cod were plentiful during this time, these food were most likely to be the main courses of this first feast. Deer meat and wild fowl are the only two items that historians know for sure were menu of this autumn celebration. So how did the turkey become the main mascot of modern-day Thanksgiving if we don't know for certain that turkeys were there at this first feast? The legend goes that Queen Elizabeth of 16th century England was feasting on roast goose during a harvest festival when news was delivered to her that the Spanish Armada, that was about to attack her beloved England, had sunk on its way. The queen was so pleased that she order a second goose to celebrate the great news. Thus, the goose became the favorite bird at harvest time in England. When the Pilgrims arrived in America from England, roasted turkey replaced roasted goose as the main cuisine because wild turkeys were more abundant and easier to find than geese. Therefore, we can conclude that although there is no real evidence that turkey was served at the Pilgrim's first thanksgiving, over the ages it has become an indispensable part of the Thanksgiving tradition.

For information, visit these links:

• http://www.thanksgivingfood.net
• http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/et_hd_thanksgiving
• http://www.thanksgiving-day.net
• http://allrecipes.com/recipes/holiday-cooking/thanksgiving/main.aspx