Thanksgiving Feast and Fiesta

Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with great relish—and lots of other things too. It’s a holiday that fills us with much more than food. It feeds our national spirit. Thanksgiving brings together families across the nation to celebrate our common heritage and culture. It reminds us of our blessings and the importance of the multitude of freedoms we enjoy. It binds our souls together and helps to make us one nation.

While we commemorate the feast the Jamestown Pilgrims held with Native Americans in 1621, it’s interesting to note that the Spanish documented Thanksgiving events almost a hundred years earlier! Starting in 1513, Thanksgiving celebrations can be traced to Spanish-speaking explorers, who paused to thank God for his blessings and to celebrate the amazing splendor of the New World. The early Spaniards were prolific writers and documented each one beginning with a feast held by Juan Ponce De Leon in 1513. Another Thanksgiving feast is attributed to Pedro Menendez De Áviles, who presided over a meal which was also attended by Native Americans. They celebrated the founding of San Augustine in 1541 eighty years before Thanksgiving was commemorated in Jamestown.

Early Thanksgiving feasts celebrated the beginnings of a powerful, multi-cultural society, rich in diversity even from its beginning in the 16th century.

Now, Thanksgiving has transcended and means even more to us than what our founding fathers and mothers intended. It’s a true celebration of family ties and a unique reflection on the positive aspects that being an American brings. This is particularly true for first and second generation immigrant families.

Imagine what it feels like to celebrate your first Thanksgiving as an American citizen with your family and friends!

For many Hispanic families celebrating Thanksgiving is the first step towards acculturation. By mixing favorite foods from their countries of origin with what most of us consider being traditional Thanksgiving fare, they take the first steps to cultural inclusion.

In Spanish Thanksgiving translates to the “Día de Acción de Gracia,” the day of the action of giving thanks. Combining all-American zest and enthusiasm, the Latin American Thanksgiving table is a fusion of Hispanic family traditions with foods from near and far. Depending on the family’s location in the US and length of time in the country, the Thanksgiving meal will likely be a blend of traditional Latin American foods along with American side dishes and condiments.

Giving your Thanksgiving dinner a Latin American twist is rather easy. Instead of rubbing the turkey with butter and seasoning it with salt and pepper, add a sprinkle of cumin to give it a little extra zing. Hot paprika and oregano are also used to spice up the bird. Adding diced chorizo sausages and cilantro to cornbread stuffing will give it a delightful Latin flair. And, who says that pumpkin can only be used in pies? It also makes a delicious soup.