What was the weather for the Pilgrims?
Have you ever wondered what weather the Pilgrims encountered on their first Thanksgiving? Ironically, we know more about the weather than many other aspects of the celebration!
We believe that the first Thanksgiving feast held by the pilgrims of Plymouth colony in 1621 was probably in September or October, rather than the last Thursday in November. No exact date was recorded, although we know it was a harvest festival.
Celebrating a fall harvest was a popular English tradition at the time—a celebration usually lasting several days—and the Wampanoag people were undoubtedly familiar with the concept of celebrating the harvest as well. The Plymouth area would be harvesting from September through mid-October.
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As new arrivals, the Pilgrims frequently described the harsh local climate; weather conditions and weather survival were common topics for the colonists.
So, the fact that they only wrote about the harvest festival and not the weather indicates it was probably relatively normal. For New Englanders in mid-autumn, this mainly meant sunny weather in the mid-to-low 60s.
See this year’s Thanksgiving forecast!
Most history books record how difficult the previous year had been for the Pilgrims. After a much delayed, stormy sea voyage, the colonists landed on December 21, the first day of winter. The harsh winter (45 of the 102 setters died) was followed by a rough spring, but the autumn brought a bountiful harvest. The arrival of Tisquantum (Squanto) had brought peaceable relations with Ousamequin, the Massasoit Sachem (great chief), and the Wampanoag confederation, including life-saving farming information, a trade treaty, and a military alliance.
Most books don’t record how difficult times had been for the Wampanoag people. From 1616 to 1619, the confederation had endured an epidemic (smallpox or maybe leptospirosis, 7-day fever) that had wiped out an estimated 40% of the tribe. The remaining survivors were militarily weakened and facing uneasy relations with their stronger neighbors. When the Pilgrims settled the decimated lands of the confederation’s Patuxet tribe and befriended the last Patuxet survivor, Squanto, it seemed like a new ally had arrived to strengthen the confederation. For the Wampanoag, 1621 was a time of healing, good hunting, good harvests, and renewed strength.
History would disrupt the amity, but there was peace and plenty for a moment. For 3 days, the remaining 53 Pilgrims and over 90 Wampanoag feasted, had games and competitions, prayed, and ate some more. It was a time of sunny weather and celebration.
Enjoy Thanksgiving weather? Read about historic Thanksgiving storms, and see if you remember any of them!
James J. Garriss
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It does sound really great!
Back in 1621, it was in the "Little Ice Age" and winters were longer and harder. It was probably colder than today, but not really that different from the temperatures the Native Americans and Pilgrims were used to.
For more on on "Mayflower" times including the great difficulties suffered by both the Native people and the Pilgrims, see Nathaniel Philbrick: "Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War", Penguin Books, 2007
