Categories: Society & Culture

Customs, Traditions and Symbols : The Cornucopia

In the USA, since 1863, we have celebrated Thanksgiving Day on the last Thursday of November.

 

Here is a little bit of background information about this national holiday:

POTUS George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation – Thursday, Nov 26, 1789 proclaimed a day of “public thanksgiving and prayer”. (* Source: The Heritage Foundation)

 

POTUS Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens”, to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November, even though, at the time, the country was engaged in the Civil War. (** Source: National Archives)

 

Now to get the highlight of this post. The cornucopia. I love the cornucopia.

 

A cornucopia, also called “horn of plenty”, is a symbol of a harvest – usually pictured as goat’s horn overflowing with various fruits like apples, grapes, oranges, etc.; corn on the cob; pumpkin; and some even have flowers.

 

In America, the cornucopia is a symbol included in our celebration of Thanksgiving Day. People don’t usually like to break with familiar customs and traditions that have been accepted and practiced for years. But if I could, I would champion a change to the traditional filling of the cornucopia. My horn of plenty would reflect a harvest that included exotic or tropical fruits. Pomegranates, mangoes, kiwis and pineapples are at the top of my list.  🙂

 

As for vegetables? Haven’t really given them much thought. Maybe some zucchini and a bunch of collard greens, kale or Swiss chard! 🙂

Related Post

 

What about you? Ever give any thought to refilling a cornucopia? What fruits and/or veggies and/or flowers would go into your horn of plenty?  Don’t you think it makes an excellent gift?  A customized cornucopia for a friend or family member.  A horn of plenty loaded with fresh fruits and veggies that they like!  🙂

 

* * *

 

If your country does not celebrate a Thanksgiving Day, I’m sure there is a similar holiday where you take time to give thanks and show appreciation for the life you live. If you don’t use the cornucopia, do you have a symbol that represents the harvest or bountiful blessings of planet earth?

 

Links of Interest:

Cornucopia – American Thanksgiving

15 Archetypal Southern American Foods – listverse.com

 

Waving flag image credit:  glitter-graphics.com

 




  • Treathyl FOX

    View Comments

    • Thanks, Giving Day is celebrated in the U.S with utter devotion to the deceased elderly people, religious heads, and loved ones. Each country is having its own way of celebrating it. In the U.S it is celebrated remembering the elders and the loved ones. The big gathering will be there. All fat meals with varieties of food mark the day of the Thanks Giving Day.

      It is being followed as a custom and Tradition all over U.S So, if anybody wants to celebrate it with different orientation the significance of the very celebration becomes questionable. I think it would be appropriate to allow it flow freely binding all the U.S citizen together.

    • We usually have it on New Year's eve, to have good life, more blessings ahead. A basket or fruit tray is filled with 12 different kinds of round fruits to signify a year-long abundance.

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