Thanksgiving Day: Meaning, History, and Facts
Thanksgiving Day is an annual national holiday in the United States and Canada that honors the harvest and other blessings of the past year.
Origins and Historical Background
Americans generally link their Thanksgiving to a 1621 harvest feast shared between the European colonists, known as Pilgrims, and the Wampanoag people in Plymouth. Early colonists in New England and Canada regularly held "thanksgivings," days of prayer to celebrate blessings like safe journeys, military victories, or bountiful harvests.
Canadians trace their earliest thanksgiving celebration to 1578, when an expedition led by Martin Frobisher gave thanks for a safe passage.
Modern Celebrations
In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, as established by a 1941 joint resolution of Congress and a proclamation by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Since 1957, Canada has observed Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October.
Traditions
In both countries, the holiday is marked by gatherings of family and friends for a festive meal. Traditional American dishes commonly include turkey, cranberries, and pumpkin pie.
"Americans model their holiday on a 1621 harvest feast shared between the Wampanoag people and the English colonists known as Pilgrims."
Author's summary: Thanksgiving Day celebrates gratitude for blessings and harvest, rooted in historic feasts and observed with family meals in both the US and Canada.