A Victorian Thanksgiving

Today Thanksgiving is a national holiday where we gather with family and friends with a feast, football game, and a remembrance of what we have to be thankful for. Many believe that Thanksgiving has been a tradition since the time of the pilgrims, but it turns out that this holiday has Victorian origins.

Originally, New England Protestants were the only ones to celebrate this holiday. However after a seventeen year campaign by Sarah Josepha Hale, an editor for Godey’s Lady’s Book, President Lincoln officially declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863. Both Hale and Lincoln hoped that creating a national day of thanks would help the nation heal from the devastation of the Civil War.

Some Victorian Thanksgiving traditions have died out, such as poor children dressed in costumes begging for fruits, vegetables, and money. However, many traditions started in the Victorian era have remained. Today we decorate our homes with pumpkin and turkey themed items. However, the Victorians decorated with more natural elements, such as seasonal autumn leaves, chrysanthemums, asters, palms, ferns, dried grasses, and grains. The Victorians set the table with their finest dishes, whether they were china, crystal, or silver. Children even had their own table set with brightly colored decorations.

Some items on the Victorian Thanksgiving menu are very similar today: turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, stuffing, potatoes, fruits, nuts, cider, coffee. Yet today very few of us will sit down to eat mincemeat pies, scalloped oysters, clams, plum pudding, and boiled onions. Overall, the Tinkers had smaller, more intimate gatherings – sometimes with no guests at all. Whether you have a small gathering like the Tinkers or a large feast this Thanksgiving, the Tinker Swiss Cottage staff wish you a very happy Thanksgiving!