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he last Thursday of November, a time to gather with friends and family to enjoy a feast packed with food to fit the special occasion. In 1621, the surviving
pilgrims of the Mayflower held a celebration with the Native Americans over the course of three days in honor of their first successful corn harvest; a couple years after the first celebratory meal, both communities held another feast to “give thanks”, hence the term Thanksgiving.
In addition to the feast, in many American households, Thanksgiving day is centered around football. A tradition seen in many TV shows and movies (i.e. the Blind Side, Duck Dynasty, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving), American football offers diverse activities on “Turkey Day”. Starting with watching the pro games, the NFL schedules three games to be played annually; the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions each host a game, and have done so since 1966, and the third is picked at random at the beginning of the season. Our very own Brevard County Sheriff’s Office hosts an annual “Turkey Bowl” flag football game that the command team has been undefeated in five years running.
Some families take part in the wishbone tradition. After devouring all of the turkey, two people will take the ends of the wishbone that was attached to the breast meat of the turkey. Once ready, each makes a wish, and pull! Legend foretells that whoever ends up with the larger section gets their wish.
1924 marks the year of the start of one of Thanksgiving’s most beloved traditions: the
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Created with an economic purpose, and making use of the Central Park Zoo animals for the first three years, the morning of the fourth Thursday of November is dedicated to seeing the helium-filled balloons of iconic animated characters, high school bands from around the country, artists singing their hits and Christmas carols, and last but not least, Santa and Mrs. Claus in the famous sleigh.
If football isn’t your thing, as soon as the parade ends, you know what time it is: it’s time to let the dogs out. Even though you may not know its name by heart, after seeing Santa round the last corner, it’s time to bring the pups out of their kennels and into the spotlight for the National Dog Show. Usually airing from 12-2, this dog show is definitely the channel that’s playing in the background as the family starts rushing to make sure everything comes together before Thanksgiving meal time arrives.
In years past, the conclusion to Thanksgiving Day was highlighted by the cleaning of dinner plates, diminishing conversations around the dinner table, and the mental preparation for the following day: Black Friday. In years past, many companies have begun to puncture Thanksgiving traditions by offering sales that begin the day OF Turkey day, rather than the Friday that follows. Thanksgiving traditions change as the nation evolves; starting as a meal to celebrate a successful harvest, this holiday has become a day of having abundant family time, quenching any and all craving for mom’s sweet potato pie with marshmallows, and enjoying the time awayfromschoolandworktorelaxandreflectona year’s worth of things to be thankful.
By Danny Meza