Fun and Interesting Facts About Thanksgiving

Looking for a few fun facts about Thanksgiving for that big family trivia game after the turkey dinner? Check out these great bits of info you didn't know! Thanksgiving is a holiday that centers on spending time with those we love. It is also a time for us to give thanks for the blessings we have in our lives. However, there are probably some things you don’t know about Thanksgiving. Here are some fun and interesting facts about Thanksgiving.

Fun And Interesting Facts about Thanksgiving

  • The very first Thanksgiving feast was celebrated in 1621 and lasted for 3 days. The feast consisted of lobster, onions, leeks, dried fruit, chestnuts, carrots, cabbage, rabbit and chicken. There was no turkey, no mashed potatoes, no stuffing and no pumpkin pies.
  • There were no forks used at the first Thanksgiving feast. The participants only used spoons and knives. Forks were not even used by the Pilgrims until 1631.
  • The United States is not the only country that celebrates Thanksgiving. Germany celebrates the Harvest Thanksgiving in the early part of October. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving mid-October. Japan celebrates Labor Thanksgiving on November 23rd and Liberia celebrates Thanksgiving on the first Thursday in November. Grenada, Korea and Norfolk Island also celebrate Thanksgiving.
  • There are approximately 280 million turkeys sold each year for Thanksgiving dinner. The average weight of turkeys purchased is 15 pounds.
  • According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pumpkin pie weighs in at 3,699 pounds. It was made in New Bremen, Ohio in 2010 by the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers.
  • There are three towns in the United States that are named after the turkey: Turkey, Texas; Turkey Creek, Louisiana and Turkey, North Carolina.
  • The big Macy’s parade was first known as Macy’s Christmas Parade since it marked the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. The first Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Day Parade was held in 1924 in New York City. The first parade featured Macy’s employees and Central Park Zoo animals.
  • The presidential turkey pardon started in 1947 with President Truman. This is an annual event where the president of the United States chooses a turkey to be spared from being someone’s Thanksgiving meal.

Do you have any other interesting facts about Thanksgiving? Share them with us in the comment section.

18 thoughts on “Fun and Interesting Facts About Thanksgiving”

  1. It is really interesting that the Thanksgiving dinner has changed so much over the years. Imagine lobsters instead of turkey. So much more expensive, and at lot less filling.

  2. Ha, cool! I had no idea lobster was the choice for the 1st Thanksgiving, but totally makes sense with the location.

  3. Those are fun to read! I love Thanksgiving, I think it’s one of the best Holidays we have. Thanks for sharing this!

  4. Robin (Masshole Mommy)

    I went to the Macy’s Day Parade last year and loved it. Seeing it live once was enough for me, though :)

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