How Thanksgiving became a blend of different traditions

+ why do we eat turkey today? US Edition - Today's top story: How medieval Catholic traditions of thanksgiving prayers and feasting shaped the Protestant celebration of Plymouth's pilgrims [View in browser]( US Edition | 24 November 2022 [The Conversation]( Thanksgiving helps me blend my American and Indian identities as I put together a dinner that combines Indian cuisine with traditional American dishes such as mashed potatoes and beans. Indeed, while being uniquely American, the Thanksgiving ritual has been a blend of different cultures and traditions from the start. Joanne Pierce, a specialist in Catholic history and worship at the College of the Holy Cross, writes about the [public rituals of giving thanks and the blessing of ordinary bread]( that were eventually incorporated into the first Thanksgiving of the Protestant Pilgrims at Plymouth. Along with the food rituals, several hymns have been incorporated into this celebration such as “Come, Ye Thankful People,” “We Gather Together” and “We Plough the Fields.” None of these hymns, as religious studies professor David Stowe explains, [have American origins](. As I sit down to our dinner with friends and family, while listening to Sufi music, Hindu bhajans and popular American hymns, we will be saying our thanks for many things in our lives, including the ability to blend, while keeping the unique traditions, in the American melting pot. Kalpana Jain Senior Religion + Ethics Editor The Catholic hymn, “Te Deum” – which says, “You, God, we praise” – has been used for centuries in Catholic worship for thanksgiving. Iconotheca Valvasoriana Author Jean Marot via Wikimedia Commons. [How medieval Catholic traditions of thanksgiving prayers and feasting shaped the Protestant celebration of Plymouth’s pilgrims]( Joanne M. Pierce, College of the Holy Cross The Pilgrims who started the first Thanksgiving tradition after they landed in Plymouth were following the customs they had grown up with, originating in medieval times. King David playing the lyre in a scene from a 15th-century manuscript of the Book of Psalms. Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images/Hulton Archive via Getty Images [Thanksgiving hymns are a few centuries old, tops – but biblical psalms of gratitude and praise go back thousands of years]( David W. Stowe, Michigan State University Gratitude and praise are not only some of the most common themes in Christian music, but also some of the oldest. Turkeys have always been a fixture in the holiday’s marketing. Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images [Why is turkey the main dish on Thanksgiving?]( Troy Bickham, Texas A&M University A mix of New England and British traditions and historical events led to the particular poultry you’ll find on Thanksgiving tables everywhere. [Turning to turkey’s tryptophan to boost mood? Not so fast]( Andrew Neff, Rochester University Tryptophan, found in food, is an important ingredient in the neurotransmitter serotonin. But is that enough to support it as a possible mood booster? The research is decidedly mixed. [How advertising shaped Thanksgiving as we know it]( Samantha N. N. Cross, Iowa State University At one point, turkey was jockeying with duck and chicken for king of the Thanksgiving table. [Where are the voices of indigenous peoples in the Thanksgiving story?]( Sarah B Shear, Penn State American textbooks confine the history of indigenous peoples to a distant past. Should history textbooks be revised to include Native American voices? [The first Thanksgiving is a key chapter in America’s origin story – but what happened in Virginia four months later mattered much more]( Peter C. Mancall, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences The communion between Native Americans and the Pilgrims makes for a compelling narrative. But it masks the suspicions and brewing violence that were far more representative of the era. [Returning the ‘three sisters’ – corn, beans and squash – to Native American farms nourishes people, land and cultures]( Christina Gish Hill, Iowa State University For centuries Native Americans intercropped corn, beans and squash because the plants thrived together. A new initiative is measuring health and social benefits from reuniting the “three sisters.” [How George Washington used his first Thanksgiving as president to unite a new country]( Maurizio Valsania, Università di Torino For his first presidential Thanksgiving, George Washington aimed to pull his country together in the face of the many internal divisions that could yank it apart. [How plague reshaped colonial New England before the Mayflower even arrived]( Matthew Patrick Rowley, University of Leicester Power, plague and Christianity were closely intertwined in 17th-century New England. [What Americans can learn from other cultures about the language of gratitude]( Jeremy David Engels, Penn State; Elaine Hsieh, University of Oklahoma Cultures around the world say ‘thank yous’ in many different ways. Two communication scholars explain what these expressions can reveal to us. 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