What date to give thanks, facts about turkey day

The Pilgrims did celebrate a three-day harvest festival in 1621, experts say, but there are no records of the Wampanoag tribe in Massachusetts receiving an official invitation to the festival, according to the National Endowment for the Humanities. Instead, they may have crashed it.

The story continues after the photo gallery.

The Wampanoags, historians believe, arrived ready for battle after hearing the Pilgrims fire their guns into the air during the festivities. Historical documents record 90 members of the tribe, led by Chief Massasoit, who then decided to stay for the celebration. Later they brought the pilgrims five deer to put venison on the menu.

Whatever peace they enjoyed did not last long.

Relations between the two parties deteriorated in the 1770s, leading to bloodshed. At one point, the severed head of Massasoit’s son was mounted on a pike outside Plymouth Colony. Today, not all Native Americans celebrate Thanksgiving.

Was turkey always on the menu at Thanksgiving?

According to History.com, turkey was not on the menu at the Pilgrim’s Fall Festival. Instead, they would likely have eaten local seafood such as mussels, lobster and sea bass. The Wampanoag also brought deer and fruits, including squash.