Thanksgiving Day

(From Kids InfoBits, a Gale online resource)

Thanksgiving began in the American colonies as a day to thank God for the harvest. Since 1941 Americans have celebrated Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November.

History Of The Holiday

The first day of thanksgiving in America was held on December 4, 1619, in the Virginia colony. In 1621 the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians had a harvest feast in Massachusetts, but they did not have a real thanksgiving until 1623. They had a drought that year. The Pilgrims prayed for rain, and it came. They set aside a day to thank God for saving the crops.

By the mid-1600s many colonies held a special day of thanksgiving after their harvests. During the Revolutionary War (1775-83), America had thanksgiving days most years, but George Washington declared the first national Thanksgiving Day on November 26, 1789.

Several other presidents set aside special days, but Thanksgiving did not become a yearly holiday until 1863. Abraham Lincoln declared that the last Thursday in November would be a national Thanksgiving Day. The idea came from Sarah Josepha Hale who had written to him about it. In 1941 Congress set the date as the fourth Thursday of November to be the official date of Thanksgiving. Sometimes this means that Thanksgiving falls on the last Thursday of the month, other times it is the next-to-the-last Thursday.

Celebration Of The Holiday

Many cities hold Thanksgiving Day parades. Some are held on Thanksgiving Day, others are held during the week before the holiday. Large parades include the one in Stamford, Connecticut, on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. The oldest Thanksgiving parade is held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

One of the most famous parades is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Thousands of people crowd into Manhattan in New York City to watch the floats, bands, and huge balloons go by. People all over the country watch this parade on television. The final float in the parade is the Santa Claus float. This is to remind people that the Christmas holidays will soon be here. The day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Thanksgiving is considered the traditional start of the holiday season.

Symbols Of The Holiday

The most well-known symbol of Thanksgiving is the turkey. At the White House every year, two turkeys are given to the president. The president pardons the turkeys and this saves them from becoming Thanksgiving dinner. The turkeys are then sent to a zoo or ranch to live out the rest of their lives. Since 2003 Americans can vote to name the turkeys each year.