Have you purchased your Thanksgiving turkey yet? If you're buying a frozen turkey, be sure to allow enough time to let it that before cooking it on the 28th. If you're buying a fresh turkey, you want to wait until the last minute, which means reserving one so they don't sell out.
St. Andrew’s Boynton Church in Yorkshire, UK, uses turkey iconography. The wooden lectern above is carved in the shape of a turkey. There's a turkey in a stained glass window. And a memorial stone with no inscription is embellished with a stone turkey on top. There's a reason this American bird features so heavily in a Christian chapel. The church was built by the Strickland family, descendants of British navigator William Strickland, who is credited with bringing the first turkey to Europe. The bird has become the family's symbol, and therefore gets plenty of respect.
That's not the only religion a turkey is associated with. They were once used as sacrifices in pre-colonial Mexico and the Aztec god Chalchiuhtotolin appeared in the form of a turkey. Of course, more modern Americans have their own turkey customs and traditions. Learn about some of these lesser-known cultural rituals and traditions involving our favorite holiday bird at Atlas Obscura.
(Image credit: Jules & Jenny)