Cultivation Of Crops: Flowers at the First Thanksgiving?

Were there flowers at the first thanksgiving? There were certainly wild flowers growing all around the Plymouth Colony, however, there is no mention of the table centerpieces at that famous dinner in 1621. Surprisingly, there are only two firsthand accounts of the first Thanksgiving. One by Edward Winslow and the other by William Bradford. These two gentlemen mention all sorts of details of the day, but not flowers. Such stereotypical men… mentioning hunting, fishing and football, but not noticing the beautiful arrangements that adorned the tables!

Flowers for Thanksgiving from Sun Valley Floral Farm.

Wouldn't this bouquet dress up your Thanksgiving?

Shortly after the first Thanksgiving, a second ship arrived at Plymouth and a report from William Hilton, a passenger on the ship Fortune, does mention flowers,

“At our arrival in New Plymouth , in New England, we found all our friends and planters in good health, though they were left sick and weak, with very small means; the Indians round about us peaceable and friendly; the country very pleasant and temperate, yielding naturally, of itself, great store of fruits, as vines of divers sorts in great abundance. There is likewise walnuts, chestnuts, small nuts and plums, with much variety of flowers, roots and herbs, no less pleasant than wholesome and profitable. No place hath more gooseberrries and strawberries, nor better. Timber of all sorts you have in England doth cover the land, that affords beasts of divers sorts, and great flocks of turkey, quails, pigeons and partridges; many great lakes abounding with fish, fowl, beavers, and otters. The sea affords us great plenty of all excellent sorts of sea-fish, as the rivers and isles doth variety of wild fowl of most useful sorts. Mines we find, to our thinking; but neither the goodness nor quality we know. Better grain cannot be than the Indian corn, if we will plant it upon as good ground as a man need desire. We are all freeholders; the rent-day doth not trouble us; and all those good blessings we have, of which and what we list in their seasons for taking.”

Some flowers would have really brightened this scene up!

The first Thanksgiving was probably a lot more focused on praying than on feasting as the Pilgrims were extremely devout. There was also a fleeting peace with the native Wampanoag people who helped the Pilgrims through their first year. The leader of the Wampanoag, Massasoit, was present at the feast as the Native Americans brought venison for the meal. Only one person at the first Thanksgiving spoke both English and the Wampanoag language, an interesting historical figure originally from the Patuxet tribe named Squanto.

Our "Seasonal Surge" Bouquet, featuring brassica and lilies.

Thanksgivings have been celebrated for various reasons all over the world for centuries, and if you ask anyone in El Paso, Texas, they will actually tell you the first Thanksgiving in North America was celebrated in El Paso is 1598.

If you mention turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie in St. Augustine, Florida, they will gently let you know that they hosted the first Thanksgiving in North America in 1565.

Even the good people of Virginia think they beat the Pilgrims to the punch by having their first Thanksgiving in 1619 with settlers not from the Mayflower, but from a ship called the Margaret, which landed a year before the Mayflower.

To the north, our generally agreeable neighbors in Canada also have a claim on the first North American Thanksgiving. English explorer Martin Frobisher hosted a Thanksgiving in honor of his safe arrival in New Foundland in 1578, beating the Pilgrims by 43 years. (Do you know Sun Valley now has a farm in Canada, near Niagara Falls? We are growing beautiful flowers to supply Canada, as well as, the northeastern and northern mid-west USA. Here is our contact info.)

Thanksgiving was not a formal holiday until 1863 when President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of Thanksgiving. However, even at this point Thanksgiving was mostly celebrated in New England. In 1941, Thanksgiving was officially sanctioned by Congress and was moved to the third Thursday in November.

The modern incarnation of Thanksgiving is a celebration of family and friends, and flowers have become a big part of the merriment. As people gather, flowers are a central element on any dinner table, as a gift for the host or to send to family, when you can’t make the long trip home.

In our ever more materialistic culture, Thanksgiving still sticks out as a day not completely dominated by presents, religion or glitz. It is about taking a moment to be thankful for all you have, and to eat a great meal and relax. Personally I love the fact that Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday. As other holidays happen on different days, the vibe gets all skewed based on how the holiday will fall in the work or school week. Not Thanksgiving, it is always right where it should be.

Did you know that the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving is actually the biggest night out at the bars of the entire year, even bigger than New Years, St. Patrick’s Day or Halloween? Ever had to cook a 30 pound turkey with stuffing, potatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes, gravey and a peacan pie for 16 of your relatives while nursing a ridiculous hangover on no sleep? No…me neither.

So as you head out to your Thanksgiving dinner or spend all day in the kitchen, make sure there are flowers on the table, even if the pilgrims didn’t have a big bouquet of fall colored blooms…apparently they didn’t have forks either.

Happy Thanksgiving from The Sun Valley Group.