Why do Americans worship turkeys? Why "Happy Turkey Day"?

Question

16 times today I was wished "Happy Turkey Day". Only 1 person said Happy Thanksgiving. It must be a religious thing.

Answer 1

Turkey is gooooood. And for some strange reason, it's not often cooked throughout the year except on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Which is a shame, because one 20 lb. turkey sure makes a lot of delicious dinners! (Turkey enchiladas, turkey soup, turkey sandwiches, turkey stew, turkey pot pie... )



Oh, and Happy Turkey Day! :)

Answer 2

The first Thanksgiving in Plymouth of 1621 may or may not have included a turkey, but it progressively became a tradition because turkey was considered the "most American" poultry (the turkey was very narrowly defeated at the national bird by the bald eagle).

Answer 3

It's also because the turkey apart from the chicken is something Americans associate with a lot especially on Thanksgiving. If you look in the web you will find a lot of jokes about turkey (the bird) that has nothing to do with the country at all. From my point of view it's not that insulting because I know where these guys are coming from since our cultures are somewhat similar, although we are more serious than them and don't joke unnecessarily. A lot of them use jokes or the opportunity to crack one as a conversation tool and an icebreaker for some. At times, the cracking of a joke is taught as a way to capture one's audiences in some instances. My son is going to Turkey on the 18th and when his grandfather made a lame joke about a turkey costing too much, for a 12 year old, he also thought his grandfather didn't know he was referring to the country. He had to explain that it was a country and of course my baba said that he knew, he was just making a joke about it. Getting back to Americans, when I mentioned to an American friend of mine that I was going to Turkey years ago, he interrupted me by telling me a very lame joke about the turkey. After my reaction which was telling him that it was very lame (it had nothing to do with Turkey, I think it was, what did the turkey say when the Pilgrims first arrived ^_^) and then he asked about the country itself. Westeners sometimes have the timing for it, but sometimes they don't but it's all meant to make light of the mood of the conversation. Like my dad did. Unlike those malicious high school which juveniles tend to associate the bird with the country whose aim is to insult a newbie, the jokes said in passing really isn't as bad as one has said. It's just one of the pitfalls of the language and culture barrier. From my experience 8 out of the 10 Americans I know usually interrupt a conversation with, "hey did you hear the joke about...?" or "Knock knock?" and the joke can be anything that crosses their mind when triggered by any topic in the conversation. It actually is one of their endearing traits which often times get misinterpreted.

Answer 4

You never ate Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes or yams, stuffing, cranberries, and pumpkin pie? Happy Thanksgiving. It was started by the pilgrims in 1621 for thanking God for helping endure their new home in what is now Massachusetts.The tradition has been around for hundreds of years on different dates, but it wasn't until President Lincoln during the civil war that declared the fourth thursday of November to be the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Answer 5

Turkey are cool!! Imagine taking a walk in the woods and having a 30-lb bird with it's feathers up on end rush you!! You'd develop some respect.



And Americans tend to eat stuff like that, I guess--me, I'm American and vegetarian. My husband--from New Zealand, can't stop talking about Thanksgiving and getting to eat turkey. But then, he eats just about anything, that's my darling.

Answer 6

Which do you prefer? Thanksgiving or Turkey Day?



I've heard it said that Turkey Day refers to a specific event where poisoned turkey was fed to Native Americans by the pilgrims to get more of their land.

Answer 7

All Americans believe that turkeys are the supreme beings that created the universe with a gobbel. It's in the bible (if you know how to interpret it correctly).

Answer 8

It's more just something that certain people think is cute. Certain people being the same sort of people who are women, work in offices, wear ugly Christmas sweaters, and still think it's hysterical to add "in the bedroom" to the end of their fortune cookies.



I don't know... it's kind of weird but it doesn't bother me.

Answer 9

We don't celebrate "Thanksgiving" in this household, and an antibiotic-laden turkey will never be placed upon our table. This has nothing to do with Christianity.

Answer 10

thanksgiving has nothing to do with religion. we don't worship turkeys we sacrifice them to our tummies ^___^



oh then to the toilet

Answer 11

MMMmmmmmm...... Turkey.



Pity Canadian Thanksgiving was last month.... :)

Answer 12

Ha Ha then Canadians must be more devout because out turket day was last month!

Answer 13

They taste good.

Answer 14

Glad im not an american.