Holiday Dates

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Origin and History

Thanksgiving is the yearly celebration of the harvest of the Plymouth Colony after a harsh winter. Beginning in 1621, Gov. William Bradford declared a day of thanksgiving. It was celebrated as a traditional English feast and local native tribes were invited to join in the celebration. In the mid 1800's, several states started to observe Thanksgiving celebrations. President Lincoln, seeking to unite the nation, declared the last Thursday in November. This date went through a couple of revisions before Congress passed a resolution in 1941 fixing the date to the 4th Thursday in November.

Modern Celebrations

Today, Thanksgiving is still celebrated as a feast with just as much, if not more fervor as the first celebration in Plymouth Colony in 1621. Turkey is still the mainstay for choice of meat, although chicken and duck are sometimes substituted. Side to the traditional Thanksgiving meal can include (but are not limited to): potatoes, yams, green bean casserole, corn, bread rolls, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.