The First Thanksgiving by Sandra Russell

 

So many different sources mention this dinner as a definite event, others are so vague as to suggest not much happened or if any special meaning is attached to it. Some report it as a small affair, very humble with a few native Americans, and a few Pilgrims, some Puritan and some not, and other Plymouth Colony families. While other reports speak about a huge harvest feast, lasting more than a five-day affair.

I think enough reports of hunting with colonists and indigenous people contributing geese, duck, fish, shellfish along with five deer from the hunt for the occasion. Wild passenger pigeons, grouse and turkey being boiled and roasted with herbs, onions and produce from the gardens planted the previous March. It is certain that root vegetables common to English gardens were used, such as turnips, parsnips, and carrots. Corn would have been a native North American variety; and 'Indian corn' is mentioned in several reports as being part of most daily fare.

Considering that the Pilgrims arriving on the Mayflower were also accompanied by Pilgrims who had resided in Holland for up to a dozen years previously, that some Dutch products would also have been included. A part of me also wonders if they brought any tulips with them. I read that beer and wine were on the Mayflower, rationed to a gallon a week per passenger. Provisions for the trip included cheese, bacon, peas, oats, barley, and salt. The winter may have been difficult the first year, but this first harvest seems to have been a quite abundant one. Certainly, if the winter prior had been a sparse one, this seems to have been worth a celebration.

While many stories seem to conflict if not contradict others, there are letters from the time and place that document in part what was going on in the Plymouth community. It is easy to imagine the rich and easy hunting available in that woodland area, as well as clam digging and fishing in the shallows (certainly an old habit and skill of the Dutch). Cranberries are also a fruit found in the coastal Northeast, so maybe the reason for the tradition we keep today? It is always a good day to give thanks to the good.