Wonderline: Readers ask about Thanksgiving traditions
Hi there, we’re happy to announce the return of Wonderline.
We wanted to get one in for the holidays ahead of returning Wonderline to its normal Saturday spot.
A lot has happened during our Wonderline interregnum, and we’re sure there are questions to answer. Call 402-204-7022, go to yorknewstimes.com/site/forms or email to let us know what you’re wondering about.
Previously on Wonderline , we answered questions about the new fire station, Walmart’s parking lot and lavender. Today we’re answering some classics about Thanksgiving.
Q. Could you settle an argument for us? Thanksgiving is strictly an American holiday, isn’t it, since it commemorates the joint celebration of the pilgrims grateful for the successful harvest and the Indians who had welcomed them? My friend says Thanksgiving is celebrated in many countries.
A. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica: “Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated throughout the U.S. Though the origin of the holiday has been attributed to a thanksgiving festival held by Plymouth colony in December, 1621, such celebrations date from ancient times. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving Day on the second Monday in October. Long before Europeans settled in North America, western Europeans observed Harvest Home festivals to celebrate the successful completion of gathering-in the season’s crops.”
Q: Where did the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie tradition come from?
A: The pumpkin pie tradition originally came from pilgrims in 1620. Before pumpkin pie, they would use it for pumpkin bread and pumpkin ale. They would also use it for stews. In 1653, pumpkin pie recipes were appearing in cookbooks. Then in 1796, American Cookery was written and released by Amelia Simmons who recognized pumpkin pie as Thanksgiving staple.
Q: When did the theory and term of “Black Friday” start?
A: The day’s name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Use of the term started before 1961 and we began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975.
Later, an alternative explanation was made that retailers traditionally operated at a financial loss (“in the red”) from January through November, and “Black Friday” indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or “in the black.”
Q: Why does the president pardon a turkey every Thanksgiving? When on earth did that start? And once they are pardoned, are they really not butchered? If they aren’t butchered, where are they taken and what happens to them?
A: According to CNN, “rumors of turkey pardons go back as far as the Lincoln administration, when the president’s young son supposedly begged his father to spare a pet turkey that was destined for the dinner table.
“But the turkey pardon as we know it today has its roots in the mid-20th century. The National Turkey Federation has been the official turkey supplier to the First Family since 1947, when President Harry Truman accepted the feathered sacrifice. He did not, however, show the bird mercy.
“The first documented turkey pardon was given by President John F. Kennedy in 1963. The pardoning didn’t catch on, however. President Gerald Ford saw fit to pardon President Richard Nixon, but neither one of them saw fit to officially spare their turkeys.
“According to the White House, it wasn’t until 1989 that pardoning resurfaced as part of the turkey presentation. That year, President George H. W. Bush started what became a tradition upheld by every president since.
“Pardoned birds have been sent to live out their lives at various locations, including petting zoos and Mount Vernon.”
On Monday, President Joe Biden pardoned Liberty and Bell, turkeys from Minnesota, while also celebrating his 81st birthday. As reported by Associated Press, Biden said “These birds have a new appreciation for the word, ‘let freedom ring,’” he said, adding that they love Honeycrisp apples, ice hockey, a thousand lakes and the Mall of America — all things the Midwest state is famous for.
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