7 Interesting Thanksgiving Facts
Thanksgiving is an extremely popular national holiday in the United States and Canada. While in the United States, people celebrate it on the fourth Thursday of November, the second Monday of October is considered to be Thanksgiving holiday in Canada. The purpose behind this holiday is to pray and thank for the previous year’s harvests, and seek blessings for good harvests each coming year.
Listed here are some interesting Thanksgiving facts that you can surprise and impress your friends with this holiday season:
1. It wasn’t even a holiday
Till about 200 years back, Thanksgiving wasn’t a holiday. You’ll be surprised to know that the woman who wrote, “Mary had a little lamb…”, i.e. Sarah Josepha Hale had to write letters for 17 years to make this happen. She convinced President Lincoln in the year 1863 for the holiday.
2. President spares a turkey
Each year, the President of the U.S. spares one turkey from being eaten at the Thanksgiving dinner. The first such turkey-pardon ceremony was started in 1947 with President Truman.
3. Turkey Love
Benjamin Franklin wanted the Turkey to be the national bird instead of the eagle. He once wrote a letter to his daughter where he said that the eagle had ‘bad moral character’, whereas the turkey was a much more ‘respectable bird’! Imagine that!
4. All turkeys gobble?
No! Only male turkeys, which are called toms, gobble. The female turkeys are called hens, and they don’t gobble; instead, they cackle.
