Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a holiday centered on gratitude, often observed with a communal meal. Its date, history, and customs vary across countries and communities.

Thanksgiving (United States): A federal holiday in the United States observed on the fourth Thursday of November. Its national observance combines gratitude, family gatherings, and a widely shared meal.
1621 harvest feast: A three-day gathering at Plymouth attended by English colonists and Wampanoag people in 1621. It became the best-known historical source for the U.S. Thanksgiving story.
Gratitude: A feeling or expression of appreciation for benefits received or experienced. Gratitude gives the holiday its central theme.
National myth: A widely shared story that expresses a nation’s identity, values, or origins. The familiar founding story can simplify a more complex colonial history.
Thanksgiving (Canada): A Canadian holiday observed on the second Monday of October. Its earlier autumn date reflects a distinct national tradition.
Wampanoag people: An Indigenous people of present-day southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Wampanoag people attended the 1621 feast and remain central to its historical interpretation.
Harvest festival: A celebration marking the gathering of crops at the end of a growing season. Harvest observances help explain Thanksgiving’s seasonal meal traditions.
Indigenous peoples of the United States: The diverse Native nations and communities whose homelands include the present-day United States. Their histories and perspectives complicate the holiday’s conventional origin narrative.
Friendsgiving: An informal Thanksgiving-style gathering hosted among friends, often before or after the holiday. It adapts the communal meal beyond family gatherings.
Sarah Josepha Hale: An American writer and editor who campaigned for a national Thanksgiving holiday. Her advocacy helped make an annual national observance politically compelling.

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