As you prepare to gorge yourself on a Thanksgiving feast, it might surprise you to learn that the holiday was pretty different a century ago. Thanks to these photos from deep within the Library of Congress’ archives, you can — and you can see how odd Thanksgiving really used to be. Back then, Thanksgiving resembled Halloween. This was due to a tradition called “masking,” which involved children and adults dressing up in costume and traipsing about town. Some rode horses, and others cruised on bicycles, and the whole affair was more about partying in public than tucking into a meal with family. See a few images from the strange Thanksgiving of the past below.
