Within the pages of the book, you
will also learn how the colonists
might have dressed in 1621. We
conjure up images of dowdy
figures dressed head to toe in black
with just a peek of white around
the collar and cuffs. This was not
the case at all. There was a much
wider range of colors worn than
our modern image portrays, colors
such as red, yellow, purple, blue,
brown, and gray.
long, full skirts; blouses and aprons
for the women and girls; and hats
and button-up shirts for the men
and boys. Here’s a quick tip: pants
tucked loosely into boots give the
appearance of knickers.
George Webb—Short direction
for the daily exercise of the
Christian, London 1625
Clothing was fashioned primarily
from wool and linen, with
some leather pieces. Most of
the garments worn by a typical
English commoner from this time
period would be recognizable
today, consisting of a long shirt,
breeches, knee-length stockings,
coat, and cape. Women wore shifts
and petticoats as undergarments
and gowns, waistcoats, capes, and
aprons over the top. Most women
wore a linen cap called a “coif,”
which covered their hair, while the
men wore varying styles of hats
and caps, both when they were
inside and when they were outside.
You don’t have to be a seamstress
in order to dress the whole family
for this enjoyable and memorable
event. Dig around in your costume
box, if you have one, or take a trip
to your local thrift store. Look for
Although the three-day feast of
1621 was more of a secular event
and not a true day of Thanksgiving
as they defined it, the faith of our
Pilgrim forefathers permeated their
everyday lives. They undoubtedly
would have said a prayer before
sitting down to their meal. Although
the exact words are unknown, a
typical “prayer before meate” would
have gone something like this:
O Lord our God and heavenly
Father, which of Thy unspeakable
mercy towards us, hast provided
meate and drinke for the
nourishment of our weake
bodies. Grant us peace to use
them reverently, as from Thy
hands, with thankful hearts: let
Thy blessing rest upon these Thy
good creatures, to our comfort
and sustentation: and grant we
humbly beseech Thee, good Lord,
that as we doe hunger and thirst
for this food of our bodies, so our
soules may earnestly long after
the food of eternal life, through
Jesus Christ, our Lord and
Saviour, Amen.
The Pilgrims would have sat
on benches at cloth-covered
tables. They ate with knives,
possibly spoons, but without
forks. They would have used large
linen napkins, about 3 feet square,
for wiping their hands, which were
used to both serve and eat the
meal. (Money-saving tip: Instead
of purchasing new fabric for these
large napkins, cut an old sheet into
3 x 3 ft. squares.) The individual
dishes they used were called
“trenchers,” which were small
square or round wooden plates,
an upgrade from the medieval
trenchers, which consisted of stale,
dried-out pieces of bread. The
food would have been brought
to the table on serving dishes or
platters and the trenchers used as a
place to cut food just before being
consumed, much like the “reach
and eat” style of eating that is still
common in the Near East today.
Enjoying an authentic first
Thanksgiving can be a very
worthwhile and memorable event
for your entire family and invited
guests. I challenge you to take a
stab at it and take many pictures
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