Le Petit Marche

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Thanksgiving - An American Holiday

This Thursday, November 22 is the Thanksgiving holiday in America.  And it is this weeks theme at ESN so. It is tradition to have turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, cranberry sauce and then whatever else has evolved to become individual customs.  America has celebrated Thanksgiving as far back as at least 1621 when the pilgrims finally had a decent harvest thanks to the locals, Native Americans, but back in the day were called Indians.  President Abraham Lincoln declared in 1863 the last day in Thursday of November to be a "Day of Thanksgiving".  Over the course of about 75 years other presidents declared national days of Thanksgiving, but who knows what day any of those guys chose, so it must have got confusing for the general public because in 1941 Congress declared the 4th Thursday in the month of November as the official day of thanksgiving.  And, well, thankfully it was settled!  No one is truly sure of what that "first meal" consisted of, but rumor has it that the Indians brought deer, and perhaps a few wild turkeys were there as well.  Corn, squashes, and perhaps other veggies were available, but no potatoes, the pilgrims didn't know about them then, so no "mashers" on the first Thanksgiving! Of course being in Massachusetts and on the coast there must have been some pilgrim fisherman so I expect there was fish, crustaceans and other "fruits de mer" (fruits of the sea). Le Petit Marché doesn't have anything actually depicting Thanksgiving as such, but here's a cute set of dishes you might like for your next year celebration.  It's a Hallmark Expressions Decorative Flowers Dishes
Make your own custom with these dishes filled with nuts, olives, bits of cheese, dipping oil for a lovely bread or whatever new custom you would like to create for your own family!  Bon Appétit, et
Je souhaite une bonne santé! à la prochaine!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone, wherever you are!

1 comment:

  1. Nice little history there. Enjoy the day and give thanks with a grateful heart, that's what its all about. :) Happy and blessed Thanksgiving to you and your family.

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