Virginia Thanksgiving FestivalRight now many kids in school are learning about the first Thanksgiving. Predictably, there will be no shortage of construction paper hats and hand turkeys coming home in their backpacks in November.
Although buckled hats and shoes are a pretty great fashion statement, the first real Thanksgiving was actually in Virginia (not Plymouth) in December (not November) of 1619 (not 1921).
Bummer huh? File that under: Lies Learned in Elementary School.
Anyway, it works great for us because we can take the kids to see history come where it actually happened. Check out these three opportunities to learn more about the first First Thanksgiving:
Virginia Thanksgiving Festival
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Find out about the REAL First Thanksgiving and party like it’s 1619! There will be period interpreters strolling the grounds, children’s games, family friendly activities, food and craft vendors, tribal dancers, encampments, corn maze, parade, dancing, candle dipping, doll making, musicians and magicians.
Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia
November 26 – 28, 2015
Discover how food was gathered, preserved and prepared on land and at sea by Virginia’s English colonists and Powhatan Indians. In the re-created Powhatan Indian village, visitors can see venison, turkey and other game roast over an open fire, while stews of corn, beans and squash cook in clay pots. A daily program will show the importance of corn to the Powhatan Indians and the variety of dishes in which it was used, including corncakes and corn dumplings. Throughout the day, visitors also can learn how Powhatan Indians made stone and bone tools used to obtain and prepare food.
Friendship, Trade and Feast
November 28, 2015
Come join the English and Virginia Indian historical interpreters at Henricus for the autumn harvest feasts and fun common to all people in 17th-century Virginia. Visitors will have a chance to be immersed in the cooking, games, songs, and dances that were common to the homes in 1611-1622 Virginia. This event will further interpret the history of the first “Thanksgiving” in English America – the one which happened in 1619 in Virginia! Join us for smells, sounds, and frolic of the 17th century past.
