Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving? What to know about turkey day 🦃
Grab your forks and spoons! The biggest food holiday of the year is almost here.
Thanksgiving, the day we give thanks while stuffing our faces, is Thursday, Nov. 23.
Through the years, Thanksgiving has become known for spending time with family and friends, watching football and the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and, of course, eating good food.
While the holiday's origins may not be as accurate as the tales that appear in children's stories or high school textbooks, many see the day as an opportunity to enjoy the company of loved ones and show gratitude.
But how did Thanksgiving begin? When was the first celebration, and what did they eat? Here's everything you need to know.
When is Thanksgiving 2023?
Thanksgiving is on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023.
On what day does Thanksgiving fall?
The holiday falls on the fourth Thursday in November each year.
When did Thanksgiving become a federal holiday?
Thanksgiving was celebrated independently by colonies and states for more than 200 years, The History Channel reports. Magazine editor and famed author Sarah Josepha Hale became known as the Mother of Thanksgiving for her campaign to establish it as a national holiday.
President Abraham Lincoln answered her call during the Civil War in 1863 and proclaimed a national Thanksgiving would be celebrated on the last Thursday in November.
But, in 1939, department store mogul Fred Lazarus Jr., concerned that the late Thanksgiving that year would mean less shopping days before Christmas, persuaded President Franklin D. Roosevelt to move Thanksgiving back a week. For a couple years, the confused nation celebrated the holiday on two different days. To end the confusion, Congress passed a joint resolution, signed by Roosevelt on Dec. 26, 1941, that established Thanksgiving as a federal holiday held on the fourth Thursday of November.
When was the first Thanksgiving?
According to the History Channel, the first Thanksgiving celebration is believed to have occurred in 1621.
The story, historically told from the pilgrim's perspective, is that Plymouth colonists from England shared a meal with the indigenous Wampanoag people to give thanks for a successful fall harvest.
This lore, however, may not be completely accurate. Most recounts of the event's significance are often overstated, journalist Eryn Dion noted in her reporting.
Members of the Wampanoag were not formally invited as a gesture of good grace, she says. Instead, the pilgrims became a bit rowdy at their feast and began shooting into the air. Fearing violence, Wampanoag warriors went to see what was occurring, prepared for war (if need be), but saw it was a celebration and eventually joined the feast.
The second Thanksgiving celebration was held in 1623 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, to mark the end of a long drought that threatened the year's harvest. Days of fasting and feasting would soon become common practice in other New England settlements over the years.
Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
The national holiday began as a celebration of the harvest and other blessings, per the Encyclopedia Brittanica. Thanksgiving, however, has since moved away from its Puritan roots and has become a day to "symbolize intercultural peace, America's opportunity for newcomers, and the sanctity of home and family."
How is Thanksgiving celebrated?
For generations, Thanksgiving Day, fondly referred to as Turkey Day, has been celebrated with a large feast consisting of several dishes that vary by culture, ethnicity, state and region. But in most households, you will usually find stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, candied yams, macaroni and cheese, pumpkin pie, and the quintessential main dish: turkey.
Thanksgiving Day is also often celebrated with football games, parades, and volunteering, BBC Good Food reports. The day after Thanksgiving has also become its own celebration known as Black Friday. During this day, stores nationwide offer extended hours, discounts and special promotions in preparation for the Christmas shopping season.
What was eaten at the first Thanksgiving?
The History Channel reports that no record exists of the first Thanksgiving menu. Although turkey has become the official mascot of Thanksgiving Day, many historians believe it was likely not a part of the original feast. Here's a list of foods that might've appeared on the table instead:
Deer, likely roasted over a smoldering fire or made into a stew.
Local vegetables such as onions, beans, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots and peas.
Indigenous fruits such as blueberries, plums, grapes, gooseberries, raspberries and cranberries.
Corn, likely pounded into a thick corn mush or porridge.
Various types of seafood like mussels, lobster, bass, clams and oysters.
Pumpkin custard.
Root vegetables like turnips and groundnuts.
What other countries celebrate Thanksgiving?
The United States isn't the only country that has a designated holiday for giving thanks. Several other countries and territories also celebrate Thanksgiving. But the dates and reasons for celebrating may vary.
The countries and territories that celebrate their own versions of Thanksgiving include:
Canada
Germany
Liberia
Japan
Norfolk Island
Grenada
The Netherlands
Puerto Rico
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: When was the first Thanksgiving? Why do we celebrate it? What to know
