7 Weird Thanksgiving Traditions Celebrated Across America

Thanksgiving appears to be a pretty traditional holiday. You eat a ton of food and spend plenty of quality time with your family and friends.

But there's more to this holiday than meets the eye. Scroll below to discover some of the strangest Thanksgiving traditions celebrated across America.

Frozen Turkey Bowling

Invented in 1988, frozen turkey bowling has become quite the spectacle. Instead of using a traditional bowling ball and pins, a frozen turkey and half-full bottles of soda make up the equipment. The sport takes place in the frozen section of a grocery store, but can really be played anywhere.

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Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest

Pumpkin pie eating contests take place just about everywhere in the U.S., but only in New York will you find the World Pumpkin Pie Eating Championship. This year's victor ate a record-breaking 47 pieces of pie in 10 minutes. Color us impressed!

 

Turkey Eating Contest

You may have a friendly competition going on with your family to see who can eat the most turkey on Thanksgiving, but some people take it to the extreme by participating in turkey-eating contests. The contestants are tasked with eating an entire turkey in 10 minutes. Think you can do it?

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Turkey Toss

Every year, people gather to see how high and how far they can chuck a frozen turkey. The folks in Indianapolis, Indiana take this activity to the extreme by lighting their turkeys on fire before they give them a good toss.

 

Turkey Trot

What better way to get back into shape after a Thanksgiving meal than by participating in a three-mile run dressed as a turkey? Okay, so you don't have to dress up as a turkey, but it's highly recommended. It is Thanksgiving after all.

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Turkey Pardon

This is really only celebrated by the president, but it's still exciting to see which turkey he decides to pardon (aka not be eaten at a Thanksgiving feast). If only every turkey could be pardoned.

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Breaking the Wishbone

After every Thanksgiving meal, many families choose two people to break the turkey's wishbone in half. Each individual makes a wish and then they each pull the wishbone apart. If you manage to rip off the bigger piece, it means your wish will come true. This tradition actually dates back to the Ancient Romans who would snap apart a chicken wishbone.

 

These traditions are totally acceptable to partake in, but you should never do THESE eight things at a Thanksgiving dinner.

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