# Holiday Symbols

Sue Ellen Thompson

Omnigraphics, 2^nd^ ed. Detroit, MI 2000.

Page 599 Related Holidays: Harvest Home, Lammas, Sukket, Wampanoag
Powwow

The autumn harvest has been celebrated in one form or another since the
time of Ancient Greece.

Page 600

1607: Captain George Popham and English settlers met with Abnaki Indians
near the mouth of the Kennebec River for a harvest feast and prayer
meeting.

December 14, 1619: Captain John Woodleaf and 39 Virginia colonists
traveled up the James River from Jamestown to Berkeley Hundred.

October 1621: Pilgrims in Plymouth Colony hold a 3-day feast with
Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag tribe, and 90 tribesman.

This is primarily a harvest celebration since 50 out of 100 pilgrims
survived the winter.

Pages 600-01

"Although some people go to special church services on Thanksgiving Day,
far more line the streets to watch PARADES or sit in front of the
television watching football games."

Page 601

"Many rituals were associated with the cutting of the last sheaf of corn
at the harvest. At one time, people believed that the corn spirit or
corn goddess ran from plant to plant, just ahead of the advancing
sickles. Some farmers "caught" the corn spirit by making the last sheaf
into a doll, who was believed to possess magical powers."

"At the traditional English festival known as Harvest Home, the last of
the corn was piled on a cart decorated with flowers, ribbons, and green
branches. A 'lord' and 'lady' of the harvest were chosen to ride in the
cart, and as it passed, people hiding in the bushes would throw water at
it---another rain charm."

"In America today, small dolls made from corn husks are a popular
household decoration at Thanksgiving."

Pages 601-602

# Cornucopia

"Also known as the 'horn of plenty,' the cornucopia is not only a
harvest symbol but a symbol of early America, with its seemingly endless
supply of game and produce . . . . Americans often place cornucopia
baskets on their Thanksgiving tables to symbolize their gratitude for
the feast they are about to share."

Page 602

# Indian Corn 

"Because they didn't want the Indians to know how many of the original
settlers had died the first winter, the Pilgrims planted corn over the
graves to disguise them. The ears of maize or Indian corn . . . were
small and knobby, with red, yellow, blue, green, and blackish kernels.
Sometimes they were roasted and eaten, but more often they were dried
and pounded into cornmeal for cornbread and cornmeal mush.

Although it is not part of the traditional Thanksgiving menu, Indian
corn is a favorite household decoration at this time of year. Although
corn is an ancient symbol of fertility, prosperity, and growth, the
irregularly shaped and colored Indian corn is a more recent American
symbol of the harvest."

# Parades

"Today, many Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with parades featuring
floats reminiscent of these early \[ancient Greek and Roman\] harvest
wagons. In fact, some scholars see the harvest queens who ride in
modern-day Thanksgiving parades as the descendants of the pagan corn
goddesses.

The oldest Thanksgiving Day parade, which dates back to 1920, is the one
held by Gimbel's department store in Philadelphia. Macy's department
store in New York held its first parade in 1924. Today the Macy's parade
feature characters from story books, movies, television, and toyland. It
attracts more than two million spectators, while another 80 million
Americans watch is on television. In Hollywood, television and movie
stars parade through the streets on floats."

Pages 602-03

# Pilgrims

"The pilgrims as seen today---on Thanksgiving posters, greeting cards,
paper tablecloths and napkins, and in the form of candles or
figurines---wear gray, black, or dun-colored clothing with white collars
and cuffs . . . . The ornamental buckles seen on the Pilgrims' hats and
shoes weren't introduced until later in the seventeenth century."

"The figures of Pilgrims seen at Thanksgiving today are a symbol of the
bravery and determination of America's earliest settlers. They are often
portrayed as male-female couples because they represent the "parents" of
the American people.

Pages 603-04

# Plymouth Rock

"Plymouth Rock has long symbolized America's freedom. During the
Revolutionary War, the residents of Plymouth took it as a good omen
rather than a coincidence when the rock split in two while being pried
from its bed for use as a pedestal for a liberty pole: Shortly after,
the colonies officially split from England."

Pages 604-05

# Turkey

"\[T\]he turkey did not become an American Thanksgiving tradition until
the 1860s. After World War II, an aggressive marketing campaign by the
poultry industry and the development of larger, hybrid turkeys combined
to make the stuffed bird a symbol of American abundance and the
traditional main course at Thanksgiving dinners."

"Today, Americans eat more than 535 million pounds of turkey every
Thanksgiving, accompanied by such traditional American dishes as
cranberries, squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and stuffing (which
the Pilgrims referred to as 'pudding in the belly')."

## Further Reading

Biedermann, Hans. *Dictionary of Symbolism*

Graham-Barber. *Gobble! The Complete Book of Thanksgiving Words*

Penner, Lucille. *Thanksgiving Book*

Tuleja, Tad *Curious Customs*