Thanksgiving Parade
Traditions
Food
Trivia
100
How long are floats used until they are "retired" and replaced with a new float?
What is 8 years?
100
Why are turkeys eaten on thanksgiving?
What is because it was plentiful at the time pilgrims came and every thanksgiving they decided to eat them.
100
How long did the first Thanksgiving feast last?
What is 3 days?
200
When Macy's started using balloons, what happened to the balloons after the parade?
What is they let it go? (They had races to find the balloons. They stopped doing this when a balloon almost hit a plane.)
200
How did turkey trots (marathons on thanksgiving) start?
It is because the YMCA hosted a marathon on thanksgiving and now a tradition. (The inaugural trot took place 125 years ago in Buffalo, New York. The local YMCA hosted an 8K cross-country race that Thanksgiving Day, drawing just six participants—and only four of them made it to the finish line.)
200
Why is gravy served on thanksgiving?
What is because of leftovers? (The remains of whatever birds were roasted one day were thrown in a pot and boiled to make a broth for the next day.)
200
When was the first Thanksgiving feast held? (YEAR)
When is 1621?
300
Which retailer was the first to host a Thanksgiving Day parade?
What is Gimbles Department Store? (It was held 4 years before Macy's.)
300
How did the tradition of watching an American Football game on Thanksgiving start?
It was because most people had off from work. (The concept of American football games being played on Thanksgiving Day dates back to 1876, shortly after the game had been invented, as it was a day that most people had off from work. In that year, the college football teams at Yale and Princeton began an annual tradition of playing each other on Thanksgiving Day.)
300
Why are pies (specifically pumpkin pie) eaten on thanksgiving?
What is because of popularity for the holiday? (In 1863, a few months after the Battle of Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November a national day of Thanksgiving, and Hale promoted the idea by publishing recipes for turkey, stuffing -- and pumpkin pie.)
300
Which Founding Father once proclaimed, “No citizen of the U.S. shall refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day?”
Who is Alexander Hamilton?
400
What did the first Macy's Thanksgiving Parade showcase?
What is live animals? (borrowed from Central Park zoo were elephants, camels, bears, monkeys, and donkeys.)
400
How did breaking a thanksgiving turkey wishbone start? (If you don't know the tradition, two people hold the wishbone. Whoever breaks a bigger part of the bone has their wish granted. If it is split in half then both wishes are granted.)
What is ancient Italy? (The tradition of breaking a bird's wishbone dates back to ancient Italy, where people would pull apart chicken clavicles for good luck. You see, these Romans believed that birds possessed divine powers.)
400
Why do we eat cranberries on thanksgiving?
What is because of abundance? (Due to the importance of cranberries in the 1500s and their abundance, it is believed that the pilgrims and the American Indians would have eaten them at the first Thanksgiving.)
400
Which U.S. Founding Father famously called turkeys "a bird of courage?"
Who is Benjamin Franklin?
500
What lovable TV character balloon was "killed" (popped) on the year of '97? (The show was canceled in 2010.)
What is the Barney balloon.
500
How did shopping after thanksgiving (Black Friday) start?
The name was used to describe chaos by Philly police when hordes of crowds entered the city in advance to a football game. (Later shops caught on to the crowd and started dramatically dropping prices the day the crowds flooded in.)
500
What foods were eaten on the first thanksgiving? (At least 3 to count as a point.)
What is turkey, venison, seafood, onions, carrots, beans, spinach, lettuce, cranberries, and other greens. (This list would be too long if we included all the seafood and vegetables. So only the major and important ones.)
500
Which U.S. president was the first to officially pardon a turkey?
Who is George W. Bush? (In 1989, Bush "presented a Presidential pardon" to a "fine tom turkey.")