As a Brit exploring the depths of American Thanksgiving, I found myself on a journey uncovering the rich history behind this celebrated feast. While we all know the Pilgrim Fathers and their successful harvest, a closer look reveals fascinating ties to ancient pagan traditions, particularly the Harvest Home Festival.
Harvest Home Festival and Thanksgiving
The essence of Thanksgiving, a gathering of families for a bountiful feast, mirrors the Harvest Home celebrations in British paganism. In the UK, the last sheaf of crops marked the Harvest Home, celebrated with a grand feast. Leaving British shores, the Pilgrim Fathers carried their customs to America. The Harvest Home, a significant event in the agricultural year, would naturally accompany them. It is obviously a natural progression to celebrate their first successful harvest with a British style feast and celebration.
Previous writing does mention that the menu for the original thanksgiving celebration involved roast duck and roast goose. Roast goose is a staple at Harvest Home celebrations, as it is this time that they are fattened and large enough to eat. However, the Pilgrim Fathers would also have served the local game – this being the iconic wild Turkey a magnificent bird that feeds a crowd. It is not a wild leap of faith that assume that they served this at their celebration.
The Wishbone Tradition:
The iconic wishbone tradition, where two pull it apart to make a wish, finds its roots in ancient Etruscan civilization. The Etruscans were from southern Italy and lived around 600BCE. They viewed the wishbone as a tool for divination – leaving it to dry in the sun, people would stroke the bone and make their wish. This custom was then carried forward by the Romans, who ‘improved’ upon it by getting two people to fight over the bone and whoever one the larger share would be the person to make a wish. Brought over to the British Isles, the wishbone fighting became a part of pagan culture and this in turn was carried forwards to eventually became an integral part of Thanksgiving, connecting generations through shared wishes.
Cornucopia: The Horn of Plenty:
A centerpiece of the Thanksgiving table, the cornucopia, or horn of plenty, directly draws from European pagan traditions. Symbolizing abundance and thanks, the cornucopia echoes the spirit of gratitude during the harvest season. The cornucopia is associated with many pagan deities, and was first introduced through Egyptian culture. Used primarily in the spring by Northern European pagans, it was a horn which supplied limitless foods and goods. A magickal object and part of the pantheon of Celtic mythology and religion.
Pumpkin Pie and Jack-o’-lanterns:
Pumpkin pie, a Thanksgiving essential, is theorized to trace its roots back to the carving of pumpkins for jack-o’-lanterns during Halloween. A clever use of the leftover insides, combined with molasses and spices, created the now-traditional pumpkin pie, and is possibly the only way to eat the revolting cattle fodder at these pies are!
A Pagan Thanksgiving: In essence, a Pagan Thanksgiving, embracing these ancient traditions, involves a shared feast where each dish is prepared with love and blessings—a form of kitchen magic. As families come together to celebrate, they unknowingly partake in rituals that have transcended time, connecting them to the rich tapestry of human history.
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