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Revision as of 17:57, 28 October 2009
For other uses, see Thanksgiving (disambiguation).| Thanksgiving Day | |
|---|---|
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| Observed by | Canada, United States |
| Type | National |
| Date | 4th Thursday in November (U.S.) 2nd Monday in October (Canada); |
| 2025 date | October 13, 2025 (Canada); November 27, 2025 (U.S.) |
| 2026 date | October 12, 2026 (Canada); November 26, 2026 (U.S.) |
Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival. Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. It is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada.
The date and location of the first Thanksgiving celebration in the United States is a topic of modest contention. Though the earliest attested Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida, the traditional "first Thanksgiving" is venerated as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621. Earlier still was the first formal Thanksgiving in Canada when explorer Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean held a formal ceremony, in what is now the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, to give thanks for surviving the long journey in 1578. The feast was one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations by Europeans in North America.
Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada. Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, or over the course of the associated weekend in Canada, usually as a gathering of family members and friends.
Canada
Main article: Thanksgiving (Canada)United States
Main article: Thanksgiving (United States)Netherlands
A Thanksgiving Day service is held in Leiden’s 15th century Gothic church. The Pilgrims stopped in Leiden on their way to the Americas.
References
- USA Today article reporting research into the purportedly first Thanksgiving in St. Augustine, FL
- See also NYTimes article of Nov 25, 2008
- Thanks Giving Day Retrieved 2009-10-20
- "Dutch town". The World (radio program). Retrieved 2008-11-28.
The Pilgrims arrived in Leiden in 1609, after fleeing religious persecution in England. Leiden welcomed them because it needed immigrants to help rebuild its textile industry, which had been devastated by a long revolt against Spain. Here, the Pilgrims were allowed to worship as they wanted, and they even published their arguments calling for the separation of church and state. Jeremy Bangs directs the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum. He says the Pilgrims quickly adopted several Dutch customs, like civil marriage and Thanksgiving.
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External links