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Three Strange Turkey Day Traditions

November 27th, 2013 by The JetSetter Team | Comments Off on Three Strange Turkey Day Traditions

Slide1Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday of many, and why not? The turkey, family, and football make us all a little excited for November to roll around. Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season, and the first day it’s a little bit acceptable to put up your evergreen and festive lights. But, all in all, it’s a pretty weird holiday. Cuddle up with a blanket (or if you’re somewhere warm like Jason Hartman, an iced coffee) and prepare to be shocked.

The Turkey

There’s actually no evidence that Plymouth’s pilgrims gobbled turkey in 1621—the closest we get is reference to wild fowl, which likely meant duck or geese. We do know that pilgrims were eating lots of deer and a bunch of shellfish, which would make for a strange but delicious dinner these days.

Turkey came to be a Thanksgiving treat later because of their prevalence in New England and practicality. One big bird could provide enough meat for a ton of people, and the turkey is of little value otherwise.

The Football

Aside from losing a lot on Thanksgiving day, the Detroit Lions are responsible for football on Thanksgiving day. In 1934, G.A. Richards bought the Lions (then the Portsmouth Spartans) and moved to Detroit. To compete with the Detroit Tigers for popularity, Richards scheduled a game on Thanksgiving. That day, the game against the Chicago Bears sold out and was broadcast nationwide.

Since, there’s been football on every Thanksgiving day. The Lions have played 67 home games since then, taking only six years off for World War Two.

The Shopping

Christmas season has long meant a lot of sales leading up to the present-giving superstar holiday. But the Black Friday sales began in the 1960s in Philadelphia, the mall capital of the world. The term itself refers to the retailer’s attempt to sell enough items in the day to move the profit out of the red and into the black for the year’s end.

You may have heard of a “holiday” called Cyber Monday, in which online retailer’s host big sales. Sales records however don’t indicate that any more people are shopping on that day, despite the hype. Actually, Mondays in December reflect more people going online to make purchases.

What crazy things does your family do for Thanksgiving day? Dress up like pilgrims? Brawl? Nap or brunch or gift give? Share them below! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmr-holdit/2743655082/)


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