Thanksgiving

originally published on November 26, 2020

The celebration of Thanksgiving in America grew out of religious traditions associated with Protestant colonists and can be traced back to events in 1619 and 1621 in which thanks was offered to God for his protection and bounty. Early celebration dates varied in the United States, but President Abraham Lincoln set the date formally by proclamation in 1863 as the final Thursday in November. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the date as the fourth Thursday in November.

Within this complex history, there are competing claims to the group holding the “first Thanksgiving” and whether it is a religious or secular holiday.

Regardless of all that, Happy Thanksgiving!