10 Thanksgiving Myths You Thought Were True (But Actually Aren't)

If you thought the pilgrims held the first Thanksgiving in America, you were wrong. Both Texas and Virginia had ceremonies 2-3 years prior to the most popularly known "first" Thanksgiving.

Actually, the pilgrims held these ceremonies at multiple times of the year. Their harvest festival was likely in September or October.

It's possible the pilgrims ate turkey, but the customary Thanksgiving foods were actually instilled in tradition during the Victorian era. The one food we for sure know the pilgrims had? Deer.

The pilgrims didn't actually land first at Plymouth Rock, but instead in Provincetown.

The pilgrims actually didn't live in log cabins, but in standard wood-framed houses.

We're told that pilgrims introduced the celebration to the Native Americans, when, in fact, the Natives themselves had celebrated harvest festivals for years.

While we think of pilgrims all in black with buckled shoes and hats, this idea was actually developed in the 19th century, centuries after the pilgrims had lived.

Pilgrims and Puritans were different groups, arriving in the Americas at different times.

Puritans actually quite enjoyed fun, and the upper classes were known to wear bright colors - not quite so "puritanical" as we think they were today.

We've often been told the pilgrims invited the Native Americans to join the festivities, but first-hand accounts indicate it's more likely the Natives heard the festival and wandered over to join in.