Plimoth Patuxet Museums Celebrates Strawberry Thanksgiving
Event to take place June 22, 10 am - 4 pm
Plymouth, Massachusetts (June 13, 2024) – Plimoth Patuxet Museums is pleased to announce that they will be celebrating Strawberry Thanksgiving on Saturday, June 22, 10 am - 4 pm. This annual event, presented by Museum Educators on the Historic Patuxet Homesite, will feature programming and educational activities across the Museum for guests of all ages to enjoy, including a special presentation by the Standing Quiver Singers from Mashpee, Massachusetts.
Since time immemorial Eastern Woodland peoples have marked the beginning of summer with the ripening of strawberries, the first berry of the season. “The People indigenous to this area were well aware of this abundance,” explained Nancy Eldredge, (Nauset Wampanoag), when writing previously on Wampanoag traditions of giving thanks. “For generations and generations, the Wampanoag knew of certain times and seasons to collect berries, to gather plants for medicines, to hunt and fish; they also knew how to ensure that there would be food for the future of their People. One of those ways was the daily giving of thanks for the abundance of materials that were given by the Creator for everyday life. By keeping gratefulness in mind, the Creator’s gifts were not taken for granted.”
Known as a “heart berry,” communities gather together on the full moon to harvest and celebrate this gift from the Creator with feasting, games, songs, and dance. Educators in the Wampanoag Indigenous Program first began presenting Strawberry Thanksgiving celebrations at the Museum in 1996. “Plimoth Patuxet is dedicated to illuminating the history, heritage and culture of the Indigenous people of the Northeast,” said Executive Director Ellie Donovan. “We’re grateful to our colleagues for sharing their traditions and lifeways, and proud to host this annual celebration for nearly 30 years.”
Plimoth Patuxet Museums is open seven days a week, 9 am - 5 pm, now through the Sunday following Thanksgiving Day. Access to all Strawberry Thanksgiving events are included with admission to Plimoth Patuxet.
About Plimoth Patuxet
Plimoth Patuxet is one of the Nation’s foremost living history museums. Founded in 1947, the Museum creates engaging experiences of history built on thorough research about the Indigenous and European people who met along Massachusetts' historic shores of change in the 1600s. Immersive and educational encounters underscore the collaborations as well as the cultural clash and conflicts of the 17th-century people of this region. Major exhibits include the Historic Patuxet Homesite, the 17th-Century English Village, Mayflower II, and Plimoth Grist Mill. A private, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational institution, Plimoth Patuxet is supported by admission fees, donations, memberships, and revenue from a variety of educational programming, dining and gift shops. Plimoth Patuxet receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, private foundations, corporations, and local businesses. Located less than an hour’s drive south of Boston, and 15 minutes north of Cape Cod, the Museum is open daily from early spring through the Sunday after Thanksgiving. For more information, visit plimoth.org. Follow the Museum on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.