What comes to mind when you think of Thanksgiving? Most Americans probably picture traditional foods such as turkey and pumpkin pie, gatherings of family and friends, and football. After the American Revolution, George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving proclamation, and Thanksgiving became an official holiday in 1863 when Abraham Lincoln established it in an attempt to provide unity during the Civil War. The roots of this holiday are traditionally traced back to a harvest celebration shared by the Pilgrims and Wampanoag tribe in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, some historians believe that the true first Thanksgiving actually took place fifty-six years earlier in Florida. Read on to discover why September 8, 1565 could be considered America’s real first Thanksgiving!
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Spanish Conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon is credited as the first European to explore Florida when he landed there in 1513. He subsequently claimed the land of Florida for the Spanish crown. The Spanish government sent several more expeditions attempting to settle Florida. During that time, French Huguenots successfully established a fort near what is now Jacksonville. Spain’s King Philip II saw this settlement as a threat to Spain’s interests and instructed Pedro Menendez de Aviles to lead an expedition to destroy the Huguenot colony.
On September 8, 1565, Menendez landed on the east coast of Florida just south of the Huguenot fort and established the settlement of St. Augustine. As was the custom, he and his crew then observed a Mass of Thanksgiving, followed by a meal. The Timucua tribe who lived at the site observed the ritual and Menendez invited them to join the feast.
Not much is known about the food that was served, although the Spanish would only have had the provisions left from onboard the ship. They likely ate cocido, a stew made from salted pork, garbanzo beans, and onions, along with hard sea biscuits and red wine. If the Timucuans chose to contribute to the meal, they likely would have provided deer, gopher tortoise, or catfish along with corn, beans, and squash.
This feast and act of thanksgiving took place near the bank of the Matanza River at what is now the Mission of Nombre de Dios. Today this historic site is marked by a 208 foot tall cross.
Although this feast of Thanksgiving was observed half a century before the harvest celebration at Plymouth, it was not the origin of today’s Thanksgiving holiday. Because British forces eventually overruled Spanish and French forces on the North American continent, the British celebration in Massachusetts became the national tradition. However, it is still fun to think about this first Thanksgiving feast in Florida and how this event highlights the long and diverse history of thanksgivings celebrated by different groups long before the Pilgrims arrived in New England.
If you are interested in learning more about the history of the first Thanksgiving in Florida, we recommend the following resources:
- Did Florida Host the First Thanksgiving?
- The First Thanksgiving
- Florida Frontiers Radio Program: The Real First Thanksgiving in La Florida
- America’s Real First Thanksgiving by Robyn Gioia
- Thanksgiving: The Biography of an American Holiday by James W. Baker
If you are a parent or educator, you can also check out our free lesson plan about Florida’s first Thanksgiving.
Want to learn more about St. Augustine? Explore our complete guide to the Nation’s Oldest City here!
Sarah
I am the main writer and website designer for Florida Unveiled. I love the parts of Florida visitors don’t often see: the tea-colored water that flows in cypress-laden rivers; the chorus of frogs after a hard rain; the rustle of palmetto as an unseen creature scampers by. Some of my favorite places in Florida are the Everglades, the Keys, Smyrna Dunes Park, Bok Tower Gardens, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, and St. Augustine’s Historic District.
1 thought on “UNCOVERING THE REAL FIRST THANKSGIVING: FLORIDA’S FORGOTTEN FEAST OF 1565”
What a fun historical fact to learn about Florida’s history!