Unique Thanksgiving Alternative: Reality Time Travel

For our family, Thanksgiving change was prompted by boredom with the status quo. Football and overeating just didn't seem to make for great family entertainment... loved the family, always, but the entertainment factor was lacking. So, come the 2007 season we attempted Thanksgiving time travel for the first time.

Our first obstacle was the discovery that historical Thanksgiving how-to information was non-existent. In spite of this initial challenge we did manage to pull together a fun table setting with serviettes that year, plus we stomped grapes, and cooked brunch outdoors by fire. It was soooo much more fun than the traditional observance had ever been!

Time traveling for Thanksgiving is now a favorite holiday hobby, and something our whole family looks forward to each year. We have since added costumes and other props, various period games, and a few authentic early New England foods.
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1621 Clothes, whether European, American Indian, or Pirate (yes, pirates!), were much different than we so commonly think today. The following period garment information is taken from The American Patriot's Treasury of Historical Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas (Second Edition), which covers the subject in much greater detail (Sumptuary Laws, accessories, gender, undergarments, children's attire, fabric choices, resources, weapons, and more).

PILGRIMS
This time period is considered the late Renaissance, and English attire was actually very colorful and romantic. Stereotypically we think of Pilgrims in black and white, but that style didn't come into middle class fashion until the late 1600's (see the Costumes page at ideasThanksgiving.com for a fascinating look at the origins of Pilgrim clothing stereotypes).

English class attire for both genders is discussed at length in the guide, but you can get an idea of the possibilities throughout this lens. For the sake of interest, here is the breakdown of class attire for English women in 1621. All the Pilgrims of the Mayflower were middle class citizens, but don't let that stop you from making clothing that you'll love to wear if you prefer the upper or lower class attire.

(Lower Class - Middle Class - Upper Class)
Lower Class: Outer corset, exposed undershirt sleeves
Middle Class: Jacket with full length sleeves to cover undershirt
Upper Class: One piece dress with full length sleeves and stately collar

WAMPANOAG
Americans only have partial descriptions, and few if any portraits of 1621 Wampanoag people, so Wampanoag costuming is left wide open for interpretation. The pictures following are of my youngest son wearing a style-plausible interpretation, followed by line drawings of traditional attire currently donned by Wampanoag Indians (as featured in The History Channel production, Mayflower). For my son's attire I couldn't afford leather leggings, but I did manage a snake skin belt and fur wrap. Snake skin belts are mentioned in period descriptions of the New England Natives.

PIRATE
Yes, there were pirates in 1621, and they did touch the Thanksgiving story every bit as much as the Mayflower did! Details are in the guide, plus some information can be found on our 1621 Pirates page at 3 Sun Thanksgiving.com.

Essentially there were two pirates authentic to the 1621 Plymouth story: the Barbary Coast Pirates (also called Algerian Corsairs), and French Privateers (government-appointed pirates who were more inclined to steal than to kill).

Step 1 - Planning
Decide what historical activities you would like to achieve. We recommend starting a sewing circle first, which can easily evolve into planning committees and historical crafting groups.

Step 2 - Recruit (it's easy!)
Simply talking to a few friends might be all it will take, but if you need to approach churches and other organizations, you can use free 3SunThanksgiving.com literature (found on the "Fliers & Graphics" page) to download and produce brochures and other types of handouts. You can also advertise for free on Craigslist, as well as use library announcement boards, and online events calendars. Keep in mind it actually only takes three or four families to get started.

Step 3 - Meet
Your group can at first meet in homes, but you will eventually need tables and elbow room for crafting. If you do not already have a facility in mind, your local Chamber of Commerce can give you leads to check out, plus they can usually provide a list of local churches that might be willing to participate, or otherwise help. During the summer you can meet outdoors in public parks.