Ever sit there chewing turkey and wonder how did Thanksgiving start for real? I did last year when my nephew asked if Pilgrims ate pumpkin pie. Got me digging deeper than Grandma's gravy boat. Turns out, most of what we learned in school? Kinda sugarcoated.

The 1621 Feast: Not What You Think

Picture Plymouth, Massachusetts. It's autumn 1621. About 50 Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag people hang out for three days. No fancy china, no butter knives. Just hands, spoons, and shared pots.

Here's what wasn't on the menu:

• Mashed potatoes (no potatoes in North America yet!)
• Pumpkin pie (no butter or wheat for crusts)
• Cranberry sauce (sugar was crazy expensive)

So what did they eat? Venison was the superstar. Governor William Bradford sent hunters out who bagged five deer. Plus:

Honestly? That cornbread sounded gritty. They used whole dried corn kernels pounded into meal. Bet it tasted like eating sand. Sorry Pilgrims, but modern recipes win here.

The Wampanoag Perspective Everyone Ignores

Let's get real. School plays show smiling Natives handing over corn. Reality check:

• The Wampanoag weren't "guests" – their leader Massasoit showed up with 90 warriors because they heard gunshots (the hunting party). Thought it might be war.
• This wasn't some instant friendship. The Wampanoag had already saved the Pilgrims from starvation months earlier.
• That peace? Lasted about 50 years before King Philip’s War erupted. Awkward.

My buddy Joe, who’s part Mohawk, puts it bluntly: "For us, Thanksgiving is complicated. We remember ancestors who lost everything after that ‘friendly’ meal."

From Sporadic Fasting to Turkey Obsession

So how did Thanksgiving start becoming a yearly thing? Took 242 years! Early "thanksgivings" were random:

• Church decrees: Communities held days for surviving droughts or wars
• No fixed date: Happened in spring, summer, or fall
• Fasting first: Often involved prayer and fasting, not feasting

The Woman Who Hounded Presidents

Meet Sarah Josepha Hale. Editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book. Wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb." But her real legacy? Bombarding politicians for 17 years with letters demanding a national Thanksgiving.

Seriously, she wrote to:

• Zachary Taylor (ignored her)
• Millard Fillmore (politely declined)
• Franklin Pierce (said no)
• James Buchanan (blew her off)

Finally, in 1863 – Civil War raging – Lincoln listened. Thought a Thanksgiving might unite a fractured country. Smart move. Sarah’s persistence paid off. Moral of the story? Annoy people long enough and you’ll get holidays named after you.

Modern Traditions: How We Got Stuck With Turkey

Ever wonder why turkey became the mascot? Blame Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol (1843) featured a giant turkey that caught America’s imagination. Before that, goose, duck, or even pork were common.

Other staples evolved weirdly:

• Cranberry sauce: Canned jelly became popular in 1912 because Ocean Spray needed to sell surplus berries
• Green bean casserole: Invented in 1955 by Campbell Soup employee Dorcas Reilly for a cookbook
• Macy’s Parade: Started in 1924 to kick off Christmas shopping. Balloons debuted in 1927

Personally? I skip the canned cranberry goo. Homemade all the way. Fight me.

Football Fever and Airport Chaos

How did football hijack Thanksgiving? Simple: money. In 1920, the NFL scheduled games to attract bigger crowds. By 1934, the Lions made it permanent. Now we have three games packed into one day.

And travel? Pure madness:

My 2019 trip from NYC to Chicago took 14 hours. Never again. Now I host and make others suffer.

Your Top Thanksgiving Questions Answered

Did the Pilgrims really wear buckles on their hats?

Nope! That myth came from 19th-century artists. Pilgrims wore colorful clothes – bright reds, greens, yellows. Buckles didn’t become fashionable until the 1680s. Those black-and-white outfits? Pure fiction.

Why do presidents pardon turkeys?

Started casually with Lincoln (whose son begged him to spare a bird). Truman sometimes presented turkeys, but JFK was first to say "let’s not kill this one." Formal pardons began with George H.W. Bush in 1989. The turkeys retire to petting zoos. Lucky birds.

How did Native Americans view early Thanksgivings?

Complex. Many tribes see Thanksgiving as a painful reminder of broken treaties and land loss. Since 1970, United American Indians of New England host a "National Day of Mourning" in Plymouth. It’s a time for truth-telling and honoring ancestors.

When did Black Friday shopping become a thing?

Coined in 1960s Philadelphia when cops described chaotic post-Thanksgiving traffic. But the sales frenzy exploded in the 2000s. Retailers realized workers had the day off and turned it into a spending spree. Now it’s practically a blood sport.

The Dark Side: What They Don’t Teach in School

Let’s rip off the Band-Aid. That peaceful coexistence myth? Lasted one generation. By 1675, tensions exploded into King Philip’s War. Plymouth colonists attacked allied tribes. Thousands died.

Modern historians emphasize:

• The Wampanoag didn't "invite themselves" – they ensured their treaty was respected
• European diseases wiped out 90% of coastal tribes before the Mayflower arrived
• Thanksgiving proclamations often celebrated victories over Native peoples

Look, learning this ruined my childhood vision too. But ignoring it feels like disrespecting my friend Joe’s ancestors. Truth matters.

Why Does Thanksgiving Still Matter?

Despite the messy history, something sticks. Maybe it’s because:

• No gifts required (Santa won’t bankrupt you here)
• Food coma is socially acceptable
• Family drama makes great stories later

Or maybe it’s that core idea – pausing to appreciate what we have. Corny? Sure. But after my sister’s chemo last year, that gratitude hit different. We skipped the turkey and ordered pizza. Still gave thanks.

So how did Thanksgiving start? As a messy, complicated, sometimes painful human event. Like most good things. Eat the pie. Hug your weird uncle. Just remember the whole story.