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History of Thanksgiving

What is Thanksgiving Day?

In the United States and Canada, Thanksgiving Day is a holiday that invites us to recognize the good things in our lives. A modern Thanksgiving celebration combines elements of family gatherings, harvest celebrations and, for many, religious observances.

The Origin of Thanksgiving

A good harvest was vital for ancient communities that relied on the crops they grew to survive the winter. They developed festivals and religious ceremonies to give thanks for a bountiful season.


By Medieval times, festivals and fairs celebrating the harvest were common in Europe. For instance, Michaelmas (September 29) was both a Christian feast day and “quarter day” that traditionally marked the end of the growing season. Rents were due and new workers hired. In modern times, ancient fall hiring “faires” have transitioned to harvest festivals that feature locally-grown produce, crafts, games, music and other entertainment.

The History of Thanksgiving

Every schoolchild knows the story of the harvest feast held by the Pilgrims in Plymouth Colony in 1621, but the true story of Thanksgiving is a bit less straightforward. 


The first thanksgiving celebrations in America typically were religious services devoted to thanking God for a successful voyage or good harvest. The Smithsonian documents North American harvest festivals in 1578, in Newfoundland, and religious harvest celebrations in Spanish-held Florida. The Popham Colony in Maine held a thanksgiving service in 1607. Jamestown Colony held a thanksgiving service in 1610 when supplies reached them after a hard winter. All these celebrations pre-date that of the Plymouth Pilgrims’ famous feast.


Autumn harvest celebrations continued to be celebrated sporadically throughout America’s early history.

Why Do We Celebrate Thanksgiving?

In 1789, the same year a newly-ratified United States Constitution went into effect, a Congressional Joint Committee approved a “day of public thanksgiving and prayer.” This day would provide all Americans the opportunity to give thanks for their political freedom and the opportunity to create a system of self-government. 


Years later, Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Ladies Magazine and Godey’s Lady’s Book, began crusading to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Her efforts were rewarded in 1863. Recalling the victory and terrible cost of the Battle of Gettysburg just months before, President Lincoln declared that a National Day of Thanksgiving be observed yearly on the last Thursday in November.


Thanksgiving was officially named a national holiday in 1941.

When is Thanksgiving?

Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. In Canada, Thanksgiving Day is held the second Monday in October.

Popular Thanksgiving Symbols

A large dinner is the focal point of most Thanksgiving Day celebrations. Although family preferences vary, a roasted Thanksgiving turkey often features prominently among traditional Thanksgiving dishes – so much so that some people refer to the holiday as “Turkey Day.”


Why turkey for Thanksgiving? For one thing, it paralleled an old European tradition of dressing a large bird for special occasions. Also, one turkey fed many. In addition, turkey was wild game, so no family had to sacrifice a future supply of eggs or milk, as happened when slaughtering livestock.


A traditional Thanksgiving dinner still incorporates many foods familiar to the Pilgrims, including wheat, pumpkins, corn, squash, cranberries and beans. 


Other symbols of the harvest, like dried cornstalks, gourds of all kinds, sheaves of wheat, apples and nuts also feature prominently in our fall decorations, including the iconic cornucopia, or “horn of plenty.”

Thanksgiving Traditions

Traveling

Thanksgiving is a day to be with family, which often requires that some family members travel to a common gathering spot.


According to AAA, more than 54 million Americans travel more than 50 miles over the Thanksgiving holiday. The Sunday following Thanksgiving typically is the single busiest travel day of the year, especially at U.S. airports.

The President’s Turkey Pardon

One story goes that after declaring November 26, 1863, as a national day of Thanksgiving, the White House received a gift of a live turkey for the Lincoln family’s celebratory dinner. When son Tad begged his father to spare the turkey’s life, Abe wrote out a Presidential Pardon for the bird.


Turkeys have been presented as gifts to presidents since the 1870s, but the official “pardoning” of the White House turkey did not occur regularly until the 20th century. President Truman is said to have pardoned a turkey. President Kennedy notably did so, as well. The formal “turkey pardon” became a more or less regular event during the 1980s.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

In 1924, employees of Macy’s in New York City marched together to the new one million square foot flagship department store on 34th Street. The “Christmas Parade” was designed to promote "The World’s Largest Store” and get the public excited for the holiday shopping season. Although the parade itself, consisting of costumed Macy’s employees, live zoo animals, musical bands and floats, was the length of just two city blocks, the route from Harlem to Herald Square spanned six miles.


The parade was a gigantic success and Macy’s has sponsored a Thanksgiving Day Parade ever since.


Giving to Others

Thanksgiving Day’s emphasis on counting one’s blessings inspires many families toward charitable works and donations. Many people volunteer to serve meals at a local homeless shelter or donate frozen turkeys and canned goods to food banks. Churches and organizations host food drives and young school children write cards and color placemats for people in nursing homes.


Football Games

Thanksgiving Day football games have been a pair far longer than most people might think. In fact, the intercollegiate Football Association hosted its first Thanksgiving Day championship game in 1876. When the National Football League was formed in 1920, Thanksgiving Day games were scheduled as a way to boost support for the league.


Today, it’s common for families to schedule their Thanksgiving meal around an anticipated football game. Not only that, across the country you can find families scrimmaging on front lawns and grassy lots to work off the effects of their Turkey Day feast.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

From its earliest form, when travelers expressed gratitude for their safety and the bounties of the New World, to today’s customs and traditions, Thanksgiving Day is ingrained in American culture.


This Thanksgiving, we’ll enjoy the journey, the meal, time with family – even the football game – by taking time to acknowledge and be grateful for what’s important to us.

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