Thanksgiving is one of the national holidays observed in the U.S., where families and friends sit around the table to celebrate blessings and events that they are grateful for. The traditional holiday is believed to have started during the American civil war in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln declared the 26th of November as Thanksgiving Day. However, interestingly, Thanksgiving did not start originally in 1863.
The first Thanksgiving was held in the Plymouth colony in November 1621 to mark the success of the Pilgrims' first corn harvest. The occasion was celebrated for three days by each state and colony, until 1863 when a unique day was chosen for it. Thanksgiving Day became a national holiday in 1941.
Every Thanksgiving Day, the President is presented with a ceremonial turkey from the National Turkey Foundation. Each year, the ceremonial turkey has been pardoned, except for the one presented to President Harry Truman. He pardoned the turkey but ended up eating it for dinner.
Thanksgiving parade or Macy's parade was first held in 1924 to kickstart the Christmas holiday. It was known back then as Macy's Christmas parade. It featured real animals from the central park instead of balloon characters.
Sarah Joseph Hale, the author of "Mary had a little lamb," is known as the mother of Thanksgiving, thanks to the relentless letters she wrote to the then U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, persuading him to declare Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday.
According to statistics, Americans eat about 45 million turkeys every Thanksgiving. Each turkey contains 300-4600 calories more than the daily intake.
Watching football on Thanksgiving is another tradition that has been adopted over the years, just like eating turkey. It started from the match between Yale and Princeton held on 1876 Thanksgiving. Since then, it has become a tradition.
Thanksgiving Day has the highest number of residential fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association. With the festival in full mode, it is easy to get distracted and leave food unattended. Therefore not only is the turkey at risk of getting burnt but so is your house and belongings. To prevent accidental fires, make sure to take the necessary safety measures such as keeping a fire extinguisher handy, ensuring that the stove or oven is never left unattended, setting timers to remind yourself of the food being cooked, etc.
These are some fun facts about Thanksgiving Day that you should be aware of. Our team at Abatelli Insurance wishes you a very Happy Thanksgiving! Stay safe and have a great holiday!
