Number 5 - Eating turkduckens
Thanks to the culinary genius of Louisiana, more and more Americans are forsaking Butterballs
for Turduckens. A turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken. One store in Louisiana
claims to ship more than 5,000 turduckens the week before the feast. Though this may
seem like sacrilege to some, the original Thanksgiving meal featured fish, oysters,
eel and lobster as well as wild turkey.
Number 4 - Thanksgiving was once celebrated in London
In 1942, London's Westminster Abbey held Thanksgiving services for U.S. troops stationed in England.
More than 3,500 soldiers filled the church's pews to sing America, the Beautiful and The
Star-Spangled Banner; the first time in the church's 900-year history that a foreign army
was invited to take over the grounds. It was an ironic gesture given the holiday's origins
as a festival for pilgrims fleeing religious tyranny in Britain.
Number 3 - FDR tried to change the date
FDR learned the hard way not to mess with some traditions. In 1939, the President declared
that Americans should celebrate the annual feast one week early, hoping the decision
would spur retail sales during the Great Depression. But Americans did not react kindly to the
New Deal meal. Some took to the streets while others took to name-calling; the mayor of
Atlantic City solved the controversy by declaring his residents would simply enjoy two meals
— Thanksgiving and "Franksgiving."
Number 2 - Thanksgiving was meant to be a fast
Thanksgiving was initially meant to be a fast, not a feast. The devout settlers at Plymouth
Rock mostly recognized "giving of thanks" in the form of prayer and abstaining from
food. But the Wampanoag Indians, who joined the pilgrims for their 3-day celebration,
contributed their own harvest traditions which included: dancing, games and feasting. This
came from their ancient festival, Nickommoh, meaning "to give away" or "exchange."
Number 1 - Detroit Lions always play on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is ruled by two very powerful f-words: "food" and "football." Nearly as
old as the sport itself, the tradition of watching football on Thanksgiving began in
1876, when the newly formed American Intercollegiate Football Association held its first championship
game. Less than a decade later, more than 5,000 club, college and high school football
teams held games on Thanksgiving, with match-ups between Princeton and Yale drawing more than
40,000 fans out from their dining rooms. 1934 marked the first NFL game held on Thanksgiving
when the Detroit Lions took on the Chicago Bears. The Lions have played on Thanksgiving
ever since, except, of course, when the team was called away to serve during World War
II.