Final answer:
The first Thanksgiving in 1621 was a harvest feast shared between Pilgrims and Native Americans, featuring venison, waterfowl, and no pumpkin pie or cranberry sauce, with diners eating with their hands.
Step-by-step explanation:
The event commonly referred to as the first Thanksgiving took place in the autumn of 1621 when the Pilgrims celebrated a successful harvest. This feasting involved the Pilgrims and about one hundred Native Americans, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit. The festivities lasted for three days and featured a menu that was a bit different from what we associate with modern Thanksgiving meals.
The food served included venison provided by the Native Americans, as well as ducks, geese, fish, and fowl hunted by the Pilgrims. According to Nathaniel Philbrick, a prominent historian, items like pumpkin pie or cranberry sauce were absent from the feast. Moreover, the diners did not have the luxury of cutlery, except for knives, so they ate with their hands and enjoyed the meal sprawled on the ground.
Though many traditional Thanksgiving portrayals suggest a peaceful and harmonious event, it's important to consider the complexities of this history. The relationship between the Pilgrims and native peoples was not always harmonious and would deteriorate in the years following the gathering. Nevertheless, Edward Winslow depicted the occasion in his work Mourt's Relation, giving us insight into the events of that day and the period's cultural practices.