In 2011, Celebrate Thanksgiving in America’s Hometown, Plymouth, Massachusetts

A relatively short forty-five minute ride south of Boston will bring you to Plymouth, America’s hometown.

Three hundred and ninety years ago, our Thanksgiving holiday got its start at Plimouth Plantation when Mayflower Pilgrims put together a feast and broke bread with Native Americans of the Northeast woodlands, the Wampanoag, who in autumn celebrate Keepunumuk, the time of their harvest.

Now Plymouth, “Accomack” was its original name. However, a 1616 map clearly named the Pilgrim settlement as “New Plimouth,” hence the settlement name was Plimouth Plantation.

Because of Plymouth’s cultural and historical significance, Thanksgiving festivities in Plymouth are educationally and entertainingly an engaging experience.

Beginning on Friday, November 18 through Sunday, the 20th, there are three-days of fun-filled and invigorating events.

America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration organizers describe the weekend as “… a beloved holiday occasion as well as an important link to our nation’s history and heritage. For 16 years, hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life have traveled to the historic Plymouth Harbor and Waterfront to experience a bounty of authentic Americana. The celebration of Thanksgiving becomes history-brought-to-life as Pilgrims, Native Americans, Soldiers, Patriots, and Pioneers proudly climb out of the history books and onto the streets of Plymouth.”

The Thanksgiving celebration kicks off on Friday with a performance by the Navy Band Sea Chanters.

On Saturday, a parade, a food festival, and a performance by the Senior Drum and Bugle Reunion in Concert.

On Sunday, there are performances by the Harvest Market Musicians: Earth Harmony and Changing Strings.

There are other extraordinary educational and entertaining waterfront activities offered along Plymouth Harbor:
Edible South Shore Harvest Market;
Crafter’s Pavilion;
Historic Village & Re-enactors;
The Wampanoag Educational Pavilion;
The Kids Tent.

And, of course, there is Plymouth’s historically significant Plymouth Rock.

In addition, a must-do is to visit Plimoth Plantation, its Wampanoag Homesite and 17th-Century English Village, and also take a tour of Mayflower II, a replica of the 17th century ship Mayflower, which transported the Pilgrims to Plimouth.

Culminate your holiday on Thursday, November 24, by participating in Thanksgiving Day Turkey Dinner at Plimouth Plantation.

Following dinner, begin the Christmas holiday season by taking a drive thirty-seven miles west to Attleboro’s Christmas Festival of Lights at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette.

It is a promise your visit will be a culturally exhilarating and memorable Thanksgiving holiday.

Sources:

Plimouth Plantation, http://www.plimoth.org/

A Three Day National Event Celebrating the History of Thanksgiving, http://usathanksgiving.com/history.php

The First Thanksgiving, http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/voyage/tour.htm

Plymouth Rock
Plimoth Plantation
Christmas Festival of Lights


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