Pieces of April & Other Holiday Stuffing
By Jeff on Nov 21, 2007 in Daily Distractions | Comments
Jon Stewart: "I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land."
What is the origin of the word turkey? The bird we today call a turkey is native to America. Yet, how did it become associated with the country of Turkey? The answer is that the American wildfowl is not the only bird called a turkey. That, since 1552, is also a name for the guinea-fowl. That bird, native to Africa, was brought to Europe via Turkey. When Europeans arrived in America, they noticed similarities between the guinea-fowl and the American bird and called the latter turkey. So, the name is from the country although the bird is in no way associated with it. More>
Katie, before all the nonsense: Here's my favorite Thanksgiving movie. Very touching, very sweet. Go hug your mom and dad. Also not too shabby.
Spare a Turkey: I don't mean to kill your bird-gobbling buzz, but I will.
Godless Affair: Thanksgiving did not originate with the Pilgrims; it was an ancient historical custom they would have been familiar with from England. What the Pilgrims were celebrating was really not a "thanksgiving," which to them was an occasion for religious piety and solemnity, but rather a harvest festival, full of (secular) revelry such as feasting, dancing, singing, sports, and games which the Pilgrims would have considered completely inappropriate activities for a religious observance. More>
