Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and, in 2024, falls on Thursday, November 28. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists from England and the Native American Wampanoag people shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.
Thanksgiving Day 2024
After the Halloween season and before the Christmas festivities take over, there is one more holiday that brings friends and family together to enjoy festive meals, spend time together and express gratitude for the blessings. We are talking about Thanksgiving. It is a national holiday in the United States. If you and your loved ones are celebrating the festival, here’s all you need to know about it.
History
Beginning in 1970, a group of Native Americans and their supporters have staged an annual protest for a National Day of Mourning at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day. American Indian Heritage Day is also observed at this time of the year.
There are claims that the first Thanksgiving Day was held in the city of El Paso, Texas, in 1598. Another early event was held in 1619 in the Virginia Colony. Many people trace the origins of the modern Thanksgiving Day to the harvest celebration the Pilgrims held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, their first true thanksgiving was in 1623, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drought. These early thanksgivings took the form of a special church service, rather than a feast.
In the second half of the 1600s, thanksgivings after the harvest became more common and started to become annual events. However, they were celebrated on different days in different communities and in some places there were more than one thanksgiving each year. George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day in 1789.
While Americans celebrate the festival with joy, the Native Americans and Alaska Natives believe that the holiday masks the true history of oppression and bloodshed.
How is it celebrated?
On Thanksgiving Day, loved ones gather under one roof to enjoy a hearty meal, play games and have fun. In popular culture, people living away from families celebrate Friendsgiving – a Thanksgiving-themed feast – with their found family on the fourth Thursday of November. Pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and roast turkey are some of the staple Thanksgiving dishes. Other customs of the day include watching the Thanksgiving Day parades, especially the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.