- From crossdressing to tropical feasts, there sure are many Thanksgiving customs out there.
Thanksgiving is a time to remember and celebrate traditions, and the holiday comes with its own set of them. Stuff like gorging yourself on a turkey dinner, pumpkin-themed foods and decorations, and parades are part and parcel of Thanksgiving.
However, there are plenty of more outlandish Thanksgiving traditions as well. Some are small local events, while others are known nationwide — yet they’re still just as odd.
What’s more, there are even some traditions from countries that you wouldn’t expect to celebrate American Thanksgiving.
Here are seven examples of unusual Thanksgiving traditions from the U.S. and beyond.
1. Turkey Pardon
You’re probably familiar with the presidential turkey pardon, but that doesn’t make it any less strange. In case you’re not aware of it, it’s an annual event where the president spares the life of a turkey.
The event, known as the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation, has been unofficially taking place since 1947. However, it was Ronald Reagan who officially “pardoned” the turkey presented to him.
After being spared from roasting, the turkeys go on to live the rest of their lives at some peaceful farm. That doesn’t save the hordes of their brethren that get consumed annually, but it’s the thought that counts.
2. Student-Faculty Pie Fight
The North Tech High School in Florissant, Missouri, has (or had) a unique Thanksgiving custom. Before the students got to go home to celebrate the holiday, they got a chance to chuck pies at the faculty.
Sounds like a great way for the kids to let out the frustrations they’ve built up over the semester. That said, the faculty members might occasionally retaliate with a pie of their own, so they weren’t completely safe.
Unfortunately, it seems that this tradition may be dead and buried, as we couldn’t find out anything current about it on North Tech’s website. If any of the school’s administration happens to be reading this, your tradition definitely needs to make a comeback.
3. Turkey Trot
Thanksgiving is typically associated with overeating, but it doesn’t have to be. Turkey Trots are organized throughout the country to put a more sporting spin on the holiday.
Turkey trots are lighthearted foot races over varying distances, usually over a few miles. It’s not unusual to see the participants also don themed costumes for the race, dressing as turkeys or pumpkins, for example.
And hey, after you’ve completed the race, you can pig out at dinner table guilt free. You’ve certainly earned the extra calories.
4. Liberian Thanksgiving
You might not expect Thanksgiving to be celebrated in West Africa. However, on the first Thursday of every November, Liberia celebrates the National Thanksgiving Day.
It all starts to make more sense once you learn that Liberia was founded in early 1820s by freed slaves who returned from America to Africa. Thanksgiving was officially made a holiday by the Liberian government in the early 1880s and has been celebrated since.
That said, the holiday is a little bit different. Liberian Thanksgiving has a strong Christian character, and the feast table boasts dishes like spicy roast chicken, mashed cassava, papayas, and mangoes.
5. Island Thanksgiving
Africa isn’t the only unusual place where you can find an American-style Thanksgiving celebration. It also happens on the tiny Norfolk Island, which belongs to Australia.
In the mid-1890s, an American trader stationed on Norfolk thought he could drum up some business with the U.S. whaling ships sailing around the island. So, he put together a Thanksgiving celebration at a local church.
Lo and behold, when whalers heard of the even taking place, they flocked Norfolk to attend. To this day, the locals celebrate Thanksgiving (on the last Wednesday of every November) by gathering at the church in the town of Kingston and singing American hymns.
6. Thanksgiving Crab
Turkey is an inseparable part of Thanksgiving. Don’t tell that to folks living on the West Coast, though, as they may opt for Dungeness crab instead.
Eating crabs instead of turkey is popular particularly around San Francisco Bay. It’s for a simple reason — the crab season doesn’t last for a long time and it begins around Thanksgiving.
Historically, crabs made for an available, affordable, and appropriately seasonal Thanksgiving treat. Although a crabby Thanksgiving isn’t as common as it used to be, it still happens.
7. Ragamuffin Day
Back in the day, Thanksgiving looked a lot more like Halloween. In the 19th century, Thanksgiving was often called Ragamuffin Day and it involved the tradition of Thanksgiving Masking.
Basically, kids would don costumes and parade through the streets, sometimes asking for gifts at the doors. That said, instead of dressing up as ghoulish characters, they would don the clothes of the opposite sex, dress up (rather inappropriately by modern standards) as various national or minority stereotypes, or even prominent political figures.
Halloween didn’t start replacing Thanksgiving as the costumed holiday until the ‘40s. What do you think? Would you prefer it if you could dress up on Thanksgiving instead?