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| | [[Image:Vc006494.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Congressional Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, set by Congress, December 18, 1777]] | | [[Image:Vc006494.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Congressional Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, set by Congress, December 18, 1777]] |
| − | '''Thanksgiving Day''' is a national [[holiday]] in the [[United States]] that is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. (It is similarly celebrated in [[Canada]], although on the second Monday in October). It is traditionally a day set aside to give thanks to the [[God|Lord]] for His blessings and is celebrated though feasting and prayer.<ref name="Lede">{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PwKAnPGqTDIC&q=thanksgiving+holiday+give+thanks+God&dq=thanksgiving+holiday+give+thanks+God&hl=en&ei=U6zOTursE4qOiAL91tHzCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CFgQ6AEwBDgK| title = The World Book Encyclopedia, Volume 7|quote=Thanksgiving Day is a day set aside each year for giving thanks to God for blessings received during the year. On this day, people give thanks with feasting and prayer. It is celebrated in the United States and Canada.|publisher = [[World Book Encyclopedia]]|year=2002|accessdate = October 20, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Lede2">{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fz514UAgIJAC&pg=PT27&dq=thanksgiving+holiday+God&hl=en&ei=H6zOTteXE6mjiALmzLHWCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEUQ6AEwATgK#v=onepage&q=thanksgiving%20holiday%20God&f=false| title = Twelve Holidays|quote=Thanksgiving Day-a holiday set aside for giving thanks to God. On Thanksgiving Day, many people from the United States and Canada give thanks for blessings received during the year with feasting and prayer.|publisher = [[Dorrance Publishing Co.]]|year=2011|author=Hazel Meadows|accessdate = October 20, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Lede3">{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7l9YAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA875&dq=Thanksgiving+Day++giving+thanks+to+God+feasting+and+prayer.+It+is+celebrated+in+the+United+States+and+Canada.&hl=en&ei=H7LOTr60I63SiAL3uvziCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CFkQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=Thanksgiving%20Day%20%20giving%20thanks%20to%20God%20feasting%20and%20prayer.%20It%20is%20celebrated%20in%20the%20United%20States%20and%20Canada.&f=false| title = The American Stationer, Volume 40|quote=As a holiday Thursday will be observed throughout the entire United States, and in Canada also, as November 26 has been designated by both Governments as the day upon which the people shall unite in giving thanks to God for blessings received.|publisher = The American Stationer|date=26 November 1896|accessdate = October 20, 2011}}</ref> | + | '''Thanksgiving Day''' is a national [[holiday]] in the [[United States]] that is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. (It is similarly celebrated in [[Canada]], although on the second Monday in October). It is traditionally a day set aside to give thanks to the [[God|Lord]] for His blessings and is celebrated through feasting and prayer.<ref name="Lede">{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PwKAnPGqTDIC&q=thanksgiving+holiday+give+thanks+God&dq=thanksgiving+holiday+give+thanks+God&hl=en&ei=U6zOTursE4qOiAL91tHzCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CFgQ6AEwBDgK| title = The World Book Encyclopedia, Volume 7|quote=Thanksgiving Day is a day set aside each year for giving thanks to God for blessings received during the year. On this day, people give thanks with feasting and prayer. It is celebrated in the United States and Canada.|publisher = [[World Book Encyclopedia]]|year=2002|accessdate = October 20, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Lede2">{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fz514UAgIJAC&pg=PT27&dq=thanksgiving+holiday+God&hl=en&ei=H6zOTteXE6mjiALmzLHWCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEUQ6AEwATgK#v=onepage&q=thanksgiving%20holiday%20God&f=false| title = Twelve Holidays|quote=Thanksgiving Day-a holiday set aside for giving thanks to God. On Thanksgiving Day, many people from the United States and Canada give thanks for blessings received during the year with feasting and prayer.|publisher = [[Dorrance Publishing Co.]]|year=2011|author=Hazel Meadows|accessdate = October 20, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Lede3">{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7l9YAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA875&dq=Thanksgiving+Day++giving+thanks+to+God+feasting+and+prayer.+It+is+celebrated+in+the+United+States+and+Canada.&hl=en&ei=H7LOTr60I63SiAL3uvziCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CFkQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=Thanksgiving%20Day%20%20giving%20thanks%20to%20God%20feasting%20and%20prayer.%20It%20is%20celebrated%20in%20the%20United%20States%20and%20Canada.&f=false| title = The American Stationer, Volume 40|quote=As a holiday Thursday will be observed throughout the entire United States, and in Canada also, as November 26 has been designated by both Governments as the day upon which the people shall unite in giving thanks to God for blessings received.|publisher = The American Stationer|date=26 November 1896|accessdate = October 20, 2011}}</ref> |
| | ''' {{before on after|2023|11|23|<br/>Thanksgiving day is next celebrated in the US on November 23, 2023.|<br/>Happy Thanksgiving! (this holiday is being celebrated today, in the US)|{{before on after|2024|11|28|<br/>Thanksgiving day is next celebrated on November 28, 2024.|<br/>Happy Thanksgiving! (this holiday is being celebrated today, in the US)|{{before on after|2025|11|27|<br/>Thanksgiving day is next celebrated in the US on November 27, 2025.|<br/>Happy Thanksgiving! (this holiday is being celebrated today, in the US)| {{before on after|2026|11|26|<br/>Thanksgiving day is next celebrated in the US on November 26, 2026.|<br/>Happy Thanksgiving! (this holiday is being celebrated today, in the US)| }}}}}}}}'''<br /> | | ''' {{before on after|2023|11|23|<br/>Thanksgiving day is next celebrated in the US on November 23, 2023.|<br/>Happy Thanksgiving! (this holiday is being celebrated today, in the US)|{{before on after|2024|11|28|<br/>Thanksgiving day is next celebrated on November 28, 2024.|<br/>Happy Thanksgiving! (this holiday is being celebrated today, in the US)|{{before on after|2025|11|27|<br/>Thanksgiving day is next celebrated in the US on November 27, 2025.|<br/>Happy Thanksgiving! (this holiday is being celebrated today, in the US)| {{before on after|2026|11|26|<br/>Thanksgiving day is next celebrated in the US on November 26, 2026.|<br/>Happy Thanksgiving! (this holiday is being celebrated today, in the US)| }}}}}}}}'''<br /> |
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| | ==History== | | ==History== |
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| − | Thanksgiving in the United States is possibly the premier U.S. family celebration, typically celebrated at home and marked with a substantial feast. As the anchor of what is for many a four-day holiday weekend, Thanksgiving provides an occasion for family reunions, marks the beginning of the “holiday season” that continues through [[Christmas]] and New Year's Day and, as its name suggests, affords Americans a shared opportunity to express their gratitude for plentiful food and general abundance. | + | Thanksgiving in the [[United States]] is possibly the premier U.S. family celebration, typically celebrated at home and marked with a substantial feast. As the anchor of what is for many a four-day holiday weekend, Thanksgiving provides an occasion for family reunions, marks the beginning of the “holiday season” that continues through [[Christmas]] and [[New Year's Day]] and, as its name suggests, affords Americans a shared opportunity to express their gratitude for plentiful food and general abundance. |
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| | Many cultures traditionally have marked a plentiful harvest with a celebration of thanks. Long before the first English settlers reached [[North America]], Western [[Europe]]ans observed “Harvest Home” festivals and the British an August 1 Lammas ("Loaf Mass") Day, celebrating the wheat harvest. | | Many cultures traditionally have marked a plentiful harvest with a celebration of thanks. Long before the first English settlers reached [[North America]], Western [[Europe]]ans observed “Harvest Home” festivals and the British an August 1 Lammas ("Loaf Mass") Day, celebrating the wheat harvest. |
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| | On August 1, 1620, the [[Mayflower]] set sail. The ship carried a total of 102 passengers, including forty [[Pilgrims]] led by [[William Bradford]]. On the journey, Bradford established a contract of "just and equal laws" for all members of the new community, irrespective of their religious beliefs. The revolutionary ideas expressed in the [[Mayflower Compact]] came from the [[Bible]]. | | On August 1, 1620, the [[Mayflower]] set sail. The ship carried a total of 102 passengers, including forty [[Pilgrims]] led by [[William Bradford]]. On the journey, Bradford established a contract of "just and equal laws" for all members of the new community, irrespective of their religious beliefs. The revolutionary ideas expressed in the [[Mayflower Compact]] came from the [[Bible]]. |
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| − | The Pilgrims had high regards to the lessons of the [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament]]s. They looked to the ancient [[Israelite]]s as a positive example to follow. Because of the biblical precedents set forth in [[Scripture]], they never doubted that the first social contract in America would work. | + | The Pilgrims had high regard for the lessons of the [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament]]s. They looked to the ancient [[Israelite]]s as a positive example to follow. Because of the biblical precedents set forth in [[Scripture]], they never doubted that the first social contract in America would work. |
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| | The journey to the [[New World]] was an arduous one. When the Pilgrims landed in [[New England]] in November, they found, according to Bradford's detailed journal, "[a] cold, barren, desolate wilderness." There were no friends to greet them. There were no houses to shelter them. There were no inns where they could refresh themselves. The Pilgrims suffered terribly during the winter of 1620–1621; half the Pilgrims, including Bradford's own wife, died of either starvation, sickness or exposure. | | The journey to the [[New World]] was an arduous one. When the Pilgrims landed in [[New England]] in November, they found, according to Bradford's detailed journal, "[a] cold, barren, desolate wilderness." There were no friends to greet them. There were no houses to shelter them. There were no inns where they could refresh themselves. The Pilgrims suffered terribly during the winter of 1620–1621; half the Pilgrims, including Bradford's own wife, died of either starvation, sickness or exposure. |
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| | In the autumn of 1621, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony held their first Thanksgiving. They invited their Wampanoag benefactors who arrived with deer to roast with the turkeys and other wild game offered by the colonists. The colonists had learned how to cook cranberries and different kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. | | In the autumn of 1621, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony held their first Thanksgiving. They invited their Wampanoag benefactors who arrived with deer to roast with the turkeys and other wild game offered by the colonists. The colonists had learned how to cook cranberries and different kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. |
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| − | Many of the original colonists continued to celebrate days of thanksgiving for a bountiful autumn harvest and the blessings of freedom God had bestowed on them. President George Washington proclaimed a Day of National Thanksgiving in 1789, to celebrate the ratification of the United States Constitution. Gradually, a number of states began to celebrate an annual Thanksgiving. In 1863,during the long and bloody civil war, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November an annual National Day of Thanksgiving, to give thanks to God for the blessings God had bestowed upon the [[United States]]. | + | Many of the original colonists continued to celebrate days of thanksgiving for a bountiful autumn harvest and the blessings of freedom God had bestowed on them. President George Washington proclaimed a Day of National Thanksgiving in 1789, to celebrate the ratification of the United States Constitution. Gradually, a number of states began to celebrate an annual Thanksgiving. In 1863, during the long and bloody [[American Civil War]], President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November an annual National Day of Thanksgiving, to give thanks to God for the blessings God had bestowed upon the [[United States]]. |
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| | ===Thanksgiving is Thanks to God=== | | ===Thanksgiving is Thanks to God=== |
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| | [[Image:FreedomFromWant.JPG|right|thumb|250px|''Freedom From Want'', aka ''The Thanksgiving Dinner'', by [[Norman Rockwell]].]] | | [[Image:FreedomFromWant.JPG|right|thumb|250px|''Freedom From Want'', aka ''The Thanksgiving Dinner'', by [[Norman Rockwell]].]] |
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| − | *[[Turkey (bird)|Turkey]], [[corn]] (maize), pumpkins, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce are symbols that represent the first Thanksgiving. These symbols often are depicted on holiday decorations and greeting cards. Corn, in particular, is held to represent the survival of the Pilgrim colonies. Used as a table or door decoration, corn or maize represents the harvest and the fall season. | + | *[[Turkey (bird)|Turkey]], [[corn]] (maize), pumpkins, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce are symbols that represent the first Thanksgiving. These symbols are often depicted on holiday decorations and greeting cards. Corn, in particular, is held to represent the survival of the Pilgrim colonies. Used as a table or door decoration, corn or maize represents the harvest and the fall season. |
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| | *Sweet-sour cranberry sauce, or cranberry jelly, was on the first Thanksgiving table and is still served today. The cranberry is a small, sour berry. It grows in bogs, or muddy areas, in Massachusetts and other New England states. It is indigenous to [[North America]]. The Indians used the fruit to treat infections and the juice to dye their rugs and blankets. They taught the colonists how to cook the berries with sweetener and water to make a sauce. The Indians called it "ibimi," which means "bitter berry." The Pilgrims preferred "crane-berry" because the flowers of the berry bent the stalk over, reminding them of the long-necked crane. The berries are still grown in [[New England]]. | | *Sweet-sour cranberry sauce, or cranberry jelly, was on the first Thanksgiving table and is still served today. The cranberry is a small, sour berry. It grows in bogs, or muddy areas, in Massachusetts and other New England states. It is indigenous to [[North America]]. The Indians used the fruit to treat infections and the juice to dye their rugs and blankets. They taught the colonists how to cook the berries with sweetener and water to make a sauce. The Indians called it "ibimi," which means "bitter berry." The Pilgrims preferred "crane-berry" because the flowers of the berry bent the stalk over, reminding them of the long-necked crane. The berries are still grown in [[New England]]. |