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Though it
was not called Thanksgiving at the time, what we recognize as
the first Thanksgiving feast was celebrated in 1621 by the pilgrims
of the Plymouth colony along with about 90 Wampanoag Indians.
The Pilgrims had suffered through a devastating winter in which
nearly half their number died. Without the help of the Indians,
all would have perished.
After the
first harvest, Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving
and prayer to God. The food, which was eaten outdoors, included
corn, geese, turkeys, ducks, eel, clams, leeks, plums, cod, bass,
barley, venison and corn bread. The feast lasted 3 days. Though
the exact date is unknown, the feast clearly took place in late
autumn.
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