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Where is Thanksgiving celebrated?

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the United States and in some parts of Canada that have an American population.

Who is Thanksgiving celebrated by?

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated by the majority of the United States population as a way to commemorate the achievements of the pilgrims that settled in America.

When did Thanksgiving first start?

The pilgrims held a festival to celebrate their first harvest in the year 1621 after their arrival. The 50 Mayflower passengers who stayed behind in the new colonies celebrated the day alongside an estimated 90 native Americans. The feast was cooked by the pilgrim women.

The event began with the pilgrims hunting for fowls and in one day they killed enough fowls to serve the company for almost a week.

Who started Thanksgiving?

The concept of a Thanksgiving Day began initially as a celebration for a successful harvest and the celebrations became common and slowly became an annual event. However, different communities and regions celebrated the day on different days. It's quite interesting to note, however, that the concept of the celebration was envisaged by agrarian communities all over the world.

In 1789, George Washington proclaimed the first National Thanksgiving Day.

History And Timeline

The first Thanksgiving Day celebrations were held in 1621 by William Bradford, the Governor of the Plymouth colony. The festival was celebrated by the settlers and the locals together. Since then, Thanksgiving Day has become a mainstay in American culture and the holiday is celebrated each year in November.

1565

America's First Thanksgiving

Religious intellectuals claim that Spanish explorers, who were catholic, held a Thanksgiving-like mass in Saint Augustine, Florida. This colony is believed to be the oldest settlement in the United States.

1621

Pilgrims Hold A Feast

Native Americans from the Wampanoag tribe and Plymouth colonists celebrate a harvest feast, which became the first Thanksgiving Day celebration.

1789

Heading:

George Washington, the then United States President, issued the first proclamation of Thanksgiving Day and called out Americans to celebrate the day to express thankfulness for the constitution.

October 3, 1863

Change To Thanksgiving Day

President Abraham Lincoln urges the American population to pray to God to heal the country from the ongoing Civil War. He later fixed the day of the final Thursday in November as the national day of Thanksgiving.

1939

The Final Change

President Franklin Roosevelt, in an effort to lessen the impact of the Great Depression moved the Thanksgiving Day holiday to the fourth Thursday in November.

Traditions And Customs

Each Thanksgiving Day is marked with the United States president re eiving two live turkeys as a gift. The president 'pardons' the turkey, following the traditions that were set by their predecessors.

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, and the day is a national holiday.

It's customary to cook a Thanksgiving meal for friends and families that mainly comprises dishes like cranberry sauce, stuffing, turkey roast, and other healthy dishes. Because turkey is the most common food, Thanksgiving Day is also known as Turkey Day.

Ways To Observe Or Celebrate Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States and is often observed with various dishes that are shared among friends and families.

You can organise a get-together with friends and family and cook a healthy Thanksgiving meal as a way to mark the occasion. Dishes like mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, roast turkey, cranberry sauce, and an assortment of vegetables are commonly consumed on Thanksgiving Day and are fairly easy to make!

In some towns and cities, parades are a tradition that the local population follows, and in most areas, holidays like Thanksgiving mark the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

If you want to celebrate Thanksgiving by traveling, you can visit New York City where parades are a tradition. Macy's Thanksgiving Parade is one of the most popular parades in the country.

Thanksgiving Facts And Stats

  • The first presidential proclamation of Thanksgiving celebration was issued by George Washington in 1789. National Thanksgiving Day was celebrated on different dates for decades until Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday to be chosen as National Thanksgiving Day. It wasn't until 1941 that the fourth Thursday of November was chosen as the national holiday of Thanksgiving.
  • A survey reported that Americans prefer leftover Thanksgiving meals over fresh food the day after Thanksgiving. Food like stuffing, turkey, pumpkin pie, and mashed potatoes is consumed by Americans at dinner or lunch the next day.
  • The dishes that are eaten for Thanksgiving dinner haven't changed much since 1621.
  • In 1920, six football games were played on Thanksgiving Day as the festival fell on November 25. This was the first instance of an official football game being played on Thanksgiving Day.
  • Canada celebrates Thanksgiving Day on the second Monday of October, and has done since 1957.
  • Pumpkin pie became the most popular Thanksgiving dessert in the New England colonies in the 18th century. The dish quickly became synonymous with the holiday.
  • As Thanksgiving grew, New England colonists would make it a religious event and pray to God, thanking for the good harvest that they benefited from.

FAQs About Thanksgiving

What is the true definition of Thanksgiving?

The true definition of Thanksgiving as a holiday is believed to have branched from the philosophy of Native Americans who gave without expecting anything in return. This philosophy was seen on the first Thanksgiving Day as much of the feast to celebrate the holiday was provided by the locals.

Why is Thanksgiving offensive?

According to Native Americans, Thanksgiving is seen as a day of protest and mourning as it celebrates the colonization of America by settlers who would, later on, bring years of intimidation and genocide to the Native Americans. Today, some Native Americans have totally rejected the idea of Thanksgiving Day, but there is a small population that embraces Thanksgiving Day and chooses to forget the tragic history of the event.

Why we should celebrate Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is celebrated to celebrate the Pilgrim's harvest meal that was shared with the Wampanoag Indians who were key to the pilgrim's survival early on. Thanksgiving began to be celebrated annually, and it became a common practice in the various other New England colonies.

What activities did they do on the first Thanksgiving?

The first recorded Thanksgiving Day with a religious tone to it was celebrated in 1623, two years after the first Thanksgiving. This festival was led with prayers to God for a good harvest. The early Thanksgiving holidays were celebrated by singing songs, dancing, and playing ball games.

How many days of holiday for Thanksgiving in the USA?

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and Americans celebrate this national holiday on Thursday and take an extra day off to make a four-day weekend so people can visit their friends and family during these extra days.

Would pilgrims have considered today's Thanksgiving to be true?

It's unclear whether the pilgrims would consider today's Thanksgiving to be their celebration, as theirs was a harvest feast. They also played games and sang songs that present-day Thanksgiving celebrations don't follow. 

Who hosted the first Thanksgiving?

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in November 1621 to mark a successful corn harvest. William Bradford, the Governor of the Plymouth colony, hosted the celebratory feast and native American allies were invited to the feast.

Did the pilgrims have turkey for Thanksgiving?

Much of the food provided during the first thanksgiving feast is believed to have been brought by Wampanoag. However, the pilgrims did provide wildfowl. This wildfowl is believed to have been a turkey, even though there is no evidence to back it up.

In which month is Thanksgiving celebrated?

The preparation for the day of Thanksgiving celebrations generally begins at the beginning of November and the festival is celebrated with friends and family on the fourth week of November.

Hashtags To Use On Social Media

#HappyThanksgiving
#Thanksgiving
#ThanksgivingEve
#Thankful

When Is This Day Celebrated

Date Day
November 26, 2020 Thursday
November 25, 2021 Thursday
November 24, 2022 Thursday
November 23, 2023 Thursday
November 28, 2024 Thursday

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