Catholic Connections
Thanksgiving occurs in November, the month Catholics are especially asked to pray for this group of souls.
Who are the Holy Souls in Purgatory?
This first president of the United States asked Congress to declare a nation-wide observance of Thanksgiving on Nov. 26, 1789.
Who is George Washington?
The English word "turkey" originated because guinea fowls were brought to Europe by merchants from this country.
What is Turkey?
The first Thanksgiving parade began in this city of brotherly love in 1920 by Gimbel's department store.
What is Philadelphia?
This popular Christmas song was first written for Thanksgiving, likely in a Northern climate where "one horse open sleighs" were the vehicle of choice.
What is "Jingle Bells"?
Many scholars claim the first Thanksgiving was actually celebrated on this Catholic Feast Day on September 8, 1565.
What is the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary?
It is traditionally beleived that the first official Thanksgiving originated in 1621 in this colony, in what is now Massachussetts.
What is Plymouth?
The custom of this presidential act toward one fortunate turkey every year began in 1989.
What is pardoning a turkey?
The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was actually honoring this holiday.
What is Christmas?
Benjamin Franklin called the turkey a "Bird of Courage" and "a much more respectable bird" than this National Bird of the U.S. which Franklin called "a Bird of bad moral Character" who is "too lazy to fish for himself."
What is the Bald Eagle?
The first thanksgiving lasted this number of days, which is the same as the number of days in the Holy Triddum in Catholic Tradition.
What is three?
Governor Bradford of the first colony to recognize Thanksgiving set it aside as a day of public prayer and praise after the first one of these for the season.
What is the first harvest?
What is 46 (million)?
The first Macy's parade was held in 1924 by Macy's employees, which included costumes, floats, bands, and live animals from this famous animal park in Manhattan.
What is the Central Park Zoo?
Leaves change colors in the autumn due to shorter days and lower temperatures, which causes them to stop producing this green pigment used in photosynthesis.
What is chlorophyll?
Jesus gave thanks to the Father during the Last Supper, and these words of gratitude are re-presented during every Mass within this prayer (usually chosen from among IV options).
What is the Eucharistic Prayer?
The first national Thanksgiving was proclaimed "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of A_______ G___."
Who is "Almighty God"?
The first frozen TV dinners were packaged in these when Swanson ordered 260 tons more frozen turkeys than needed for Thanksgiving and wanted a way to not let them go to waste. (Hint: "Al" on the periodic table.)
What are aluminum trays?
This character appeared in various balloon forms in the most number of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades (43 total).
What is Snoopy?
This popular Thanksgiving red fruit was used by Native Americans to cook, heal wounds, and dye material.
What is the cranberry?
This is another word for the Mass, derived from Greek, meaning "Thanksgiving."
What is "Eucharist"? (in Greek: eucharistia)
This 16th President of the U.S. declared Thanksgiving Day a national holiday during the Civil War.
Who is Abraham Lincoln?
This dance, which began at the turn of the 20th century, was inspired by the unique and spasmodic movements of the annually popular gobbler.
What is the turkey trot?
This post-parade tradition ended in 1932 when an airplane flown by a student pilot collided with a balloon floating 5,000 feet up in the air (don't worry, all on board survived).
This NFL Team has played a home game on Thanksgiving Day each year since 1934 (except when games were not played between 1939-1944 during WWII), the most of any team.
Who are the Detroit Lions?