What Is in a Cornucopia Basket?
According to the Thanksgiving Day website, a cornucopia -- also known as a horn of plenty -- was traditionally made from a carved goat's horn and filled with the bounty of the feast, primarily grain and fruit.
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Contents
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The modern cornucopia is usually a woven basket that contains not only foods like corn, squash, apples, oranges and grapes but other festive and seasonal items, such as changing leaves, straw, pine cones, nuts and berries.
History
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The Flower Shop Network states that the word "cornucopia" comes from the Latin "cornu," meaning "horn," and "copia," meaning 'plenty." In Greek mythology, Amalthea, a goat, broke off one of her horns in a sign of reverence to Zeus.
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Significance
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In modern Thanksgiving celebrations, the cornucopia has become the symbol of the holiday, much like the heart for Valentine's Day or the jack-o-lantern for Halloween. Most modern cornucopias are decorative in nature only, featuring prop contents rather than real perishables.
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References
- Photo Credit cornucopia image by Liz Van Steenburgh from Fotolia.com
