Today is an important, traditional holiday in the United States – Thanksgiving. This national holiday is celebrated every year on the 4th Thursday in November. Let’s learn a bit about the history and customs of this special day.

History

Back in the 1600s, European settlers were traveling to and settling in America. One group of settlers from England were Puritans who traveled to the new world for religious reasons. These days they are referred to as pilgrims. The first year was terrible for them, as almost half of their people were killed in the winter of 1620. Thankfully, the pilgrims befriended the native Wampanoag tribe. The Native Americans – sometimes known as Indians – taught them about fishing, planting, and hunting in their land. In the autumn of 1621, they had a huge harvest that gave them enough food to last through another long winter. To celebrate, the pilgrims and Wampanoags gathered together for a 3-day feast of thanksgiving.

While the first Thanksgiving happened way back in 1621, it didn’t become a national holiday until over 200 years later. Many of the settlements in New England began having days of thanksgiving annually or occasionally, but it wasn’t until 1789 that George Washington proclaimed it a holiday – and that was just a one-time thing! In 1827, an author named Sarah Josepha Hale launched a campaign to make it a national holiday. Finally, in 1863 – at the height of the Civil War – Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November.

Learn more about Thanksgiving in this short video from the History Channel:

Now let’s take a look at how Americans celebrate this traditional holiday.

Customs

Thanksgiving Feast

Just as the pilgrims and Indians did back in 1621, Americans gather around a table with family to share a feast and to give thanks. The center of most Thanksgiving dinners is a turkey – roasted, baked, or even deep-fried. While this is the most common dish for the holiday these days, chances are it was not on the table at the first Thanksgiving. In addition to the turkey, people can load their plates up with mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Before eating, most people will say what they are thankful for. After all, it is a day for giving thanks!

Parades

In towns and cities all across America, people line up on the side of the street to watch a Thanksgiving parade. The biggest and most famous is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Every year, 2-3 million people gather to watch the parade go by. The parade features marching bands, performers, and giant floats. Take a closer look at the parade in this video from Ovation:

Football

People have been playing football on Thanksgiving in America ever since the game was invented. With a day off of work, it was more likely that fans would fill the stadium for the games. Professional football started in 1920, and it wasn’t long until there were NFL games on Thanksgiving. In 1934, the Detroit Lions were playing their first season in the Motor City. Competing against the excellent Tigers (baseball) for ticket sales, the owner decided to have a game on Thanksgiving in an attempt to drive up sales. It worked, and the Lions have been playing a game on the holiday ever since. The Dallas Cowboys joined in 1966, and now there’s even a third game between two different teams every year.

Pardoning a Turkey

An interesting Thanksgiving tradition is for the acting President of the United States to pardon a turkey. The tradition of presenting a turkey to the president goes back a while, but most of them actually ate the bird. In 1963, John F. Kennedy decided to spare the bird, sending it back to the farm with the message “We’ll let this one grow.” Sadly, JFK was assassinated just four days later. In response to protests from animal rights activists, George H.W. Bush pardoned a turkey in his first year in office. It has been a White House tradition ever since. Get the scoop on this recent tradition in this short clip from Newsy:

Is there a similar holiday in your country? How do people celebrate? Leave us a comment and let us know! And to all our readers – Happy Thanksgiving!