 "People celebrating Thanksgiving. Image credit: Pexels")
The holidays and festive spirit in the US and Canada is just around the corner as Halloween season passes by people are ready to kickstart the month of November with Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is regarded as the day that usually brings family, relatives and friends together. People cherish the tradition of feasting and togetherness. It is not what is usually shown in school textbooks or children’s comics but Thanksgiving has a particular reason for celebration which weaves history and turns into a modern-day celebration.
It is associated with having big fat family feasts, parades in NYC, football games and charity shopping
This occasion holds a special place in the hearts of Americans and becomes a time to rejoice, signifying the historical tradition of the country.
When is Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday in November every year and will be celebrated on November 28, 2024, in the United States. It is also considered an annual holiday in the United States.
Why Thanksgiving is celebrated?
Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863. Abraham Lincoln was credited with setting the last Thursday of November for the festive tradition. But the story has a motive behind it, the tradition has its roots in 1621 which is surrounded by myths. The simplest story which has been historically told about Thanksgiving is that the colonists or White Pilgrims shared a meal with the indigenous Wampanoag people to celebrate their successful harvest.
However, this is not considered to be completely accurate.
In reality, the members of the Wampanoag community were not invited in a happy gesture. The Pilgrims got rowdy during the feast and fired their guns into the air. Fearing violence and concerned about the noise, Wampanoag warriors arrived at the location – prepared for war – but later realised and saw it as a celebration and joined.
In 1939, President Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November to boost holiday shopping, during the Great Depression.
Why does Thanksgiving fall on a Thursday?
It was after a joint Congress session in 1941 in which Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation designating the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving day from the last Thursday in November.
People usually greet people with – Happy Thanksgiving! on this day with gifts, feasts and games. Almost 90 per cent of Americans enjoy Turkish food on this day.