Enjoying and relishing the taste of a good deep fried turkey wasn’t a common practice in the olden days unlike now, that every fried rice meal is close to being incomplete without a well grilled turkey laps. Sounds yummy right? That’s the intention (smiles).
In 300 BC, the ancient Mayan culture was at its height, with sprawling cities, elaborate temples, written hieroglyphics, cultivated agriculture, engineered and other advancements. The Mayans were also highly religious people, and their life was filled with symbolism and ritual. Among their most powerful symbols and part of their most sacred rituals was a bird that we see as all too commonplace today – the wild turkey.
To the Mayans, turkeys were seen as exceptionally powerful, with the ability to work their charms at night and in dreams. E shock you?
The birds were indicative of great personal power and wealth, and were often owned to show societal prominence. Turkeys were symbols in the Mayan calendar and were even buried with the dead, though the exact symbolism of that ritual burial is not well understood.
The bird was conceived of as being gifted with exceptional powers, which could be harmful to human from the nocturnal and dream space. Another weird fact is least one Maya ruler included the word turkey in his royal nickname
The Mayans were not the only ancient culture to revere turkeys. In other Native American cultures, turkeys had symbolic representations as well as practical uses, including…
• Turkeys as rain spirits able to predict the weather
• Trickster identities and more mischievous personalities
• Turkeys as symbols of plentiful crops and friendship
• A night god of plagues, disease, and pestilence
• Clan names and tribal symbols
• Dances and songs about war honors and tribal pride
• Feathers used in ornamental cloaks, headdresses, and garments
Even in recent phenomenons, it a normal practice for Americans to roast and share them among themselves during Thanksgiving dinners to show its unique importance.
