In the Know…

Duck, Duck, Goose…or Turkey?? The settlers called “Pilgrims” held an autumn celebration of food, feasting, and praising God. The Governor of Plymouth invited Native Americans to join them in the feast. Evidence to support that claim came from diaries of Plymouth. The settlers fed and entertained the Native Americans for three days, at which point some of the Native Americans went into the forest, killed deer, and gave them to the Governor as a gift.

We don’t really know that the pilgrims and Indians ate Thanksgiving turkey. It seems the pilgrims called all wild fowl “turkey.” Governor William Bradford sent men out to come back with fowl for the women to cook. Whether it was wild turkey, duck, goose, or even eagles, we don’t know.

The tradition of turkey is rooted in the ‘History Of Plymouth Plantation’, written by William Bradford some 22 years after the actual celebration. In his letter sent to England Edward Winslow, another Pilgrim, it describes how the governor sent “four men out fowling” and they returned with turkeys, ducks and geese. Since then turkey turned out to be a popular symbol of Thanksgiving Day.

Whatever is part of your Thanksgiving feast, remember the “thanks” goes to the Lord God who has provided for you.

“I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving” Psalm 69:30 NIV

Excerpts from www.the-history-of.net