Where do our Thanksgiving traditions come from?

Do you know the origins of our Thanksgiving traditions? Check out the questions and answers below to discover the truth about about one of our most beloved national holidays.

Why do we eat turkey on Thanksgiving?
Turkey probably wasn’t eaten at the first Thanksgiving when the pilgrims feasted with the Wampanoag people in 1621. However, when Thanksgiving started to become a popular holiday during the 19th and 20th centuries, turkey — along with cranberries, pumpkin and sweet potato — became typical items on Thanksgiving menus because they’re native to the Americas.

Who was the first president to pardon a turkey?
Live turkeys have been presented to presidents each Thanksgiving since Harry S. Truman was president in the 1940s. John F. Kennedy was the first president to pardon the turkey by sparing it from being killed for Thanksgiving dinner. However, it was only during the presidency of George H. W. Bush that it became an annual tradition for the president to pardon the turkey.

When was the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade occurred in 1924. In 1927, large animal-shaped balloons replaced live animals in the parade and have been a staple of the event ever since. Today, it’s the world’s largest parade.

How did the tradition of watching football on Thanksgiving begin?
As early as 1869, just a few years after Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, colleges began hosting annual football matches to celebrate the holiday. After the National Football League was founded in 1920, it started hosting annual Thanksgiving games. Today, the NFL hosts three games on the holiday Thursday, two of which always feature the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys.