In the City Versus the Countryside
The Beginning of Thanksgiving Traditions in the City
Football and parades started many years before Thanksgiving became an official federal national holiday. The first Thanksgiving game was between Princeton and Yale in 1876. Macy’s did their first parade in 1924. The original parade had live animals, which were replaced by the big balloons in 1927. In both the large cities and countryside, people attended church on Thanksgiving day.
Thanksgiving or Halloween?
At the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, masks were a popular Thanksgiving activity in the cities, especially among children and young adults. Many of the masks depicted different animals, but sometimes the masks were more political. Masking was particularly popular in New York City, but other large cities had masking as well. By the 1930s, this tradition was no longer popular and masking became a thing of the past.
In the Countryside: A Rural Minnesota Story
Thanksgiving in the countryside had similarities and differences to the city. For many in the countryside, Thanksgiving was a huge community party. One individual living in Minnesota wrote to the North-Western Democrat paper in 1855, telling about their warm welcome to Minnesota, after moving from New England. They recount the Thanskgiving invitation and the difference in city and rural Thanksgiving celebrations. They had a wonderful time, despite the cold.
"Rarely does it fall to the lot of a traveler, when far from home and among strangers, to have an invitation to attend the welcome anniversary of Thanksgiving among a large circle of friends; but such has been my happiness."
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Thanksgiving in Buffalo Grove
In Buffalo Grove, Thanksgiving would have been smaller than the city celebrations in some ways but bigger in others! Buffalo Grove’s community was very small in the early 1900s, with less than a few hundred people, but party sizes were big as the early Buffalo Grove residents had large extended families.
While we don't know all the details of a Thanksgiving day in Buffalo Grove, we use letters, objects, and books to help paint the picture. Thanksgiving may have involved Mass at St. Mary Parish in the morning followed by large meals with family and friends. Wearing your special clothes was a common trend in the city and countryside. In Buffalo Grove most residents were farmers and usually could only afford a couple nice outfits. These were worn for special occasions and usually in colors easy to wash, like brown, black, and white.
