Things You Need to Know About Thanksgiving Day

There are many festivals that people from different communities celebrate. Amongst the many festivals, one festival holds a special place in every American's life. That festival is Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is one of the most significant festivals in America. It is near the end of the year when family members get together to celebrate and have a good time. Thanksgiving day isn't just an ordinary holiday. There is more to it, such as getting together with your family and shopping for custom apparel. This article will tell you all you need to know about Thanksgiving Day.

What is Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving day is a national festival for all American and Canadian citizens. They consider it to be one of the most important annual celebrations. People wait for this day each year to enjoy a hearty meal with their families.

Whether you stay with your family or work in a different city, you need to get together with them on this special occasion. This holiday is for honoring the blessings in one's life. At the feast of Thanksgiving night, families say thanks for their good things. It is also the time when we shop to get great discounts on different items like custom hoodies and other necessities.

What is the History Behind Thanksgiving?

The celebration of Thanksgiving days goes back to the 1620s. History suggests that the Wampanoag and Pilgrims of Plymouth celebrated the first Thanksgiving. The English colonists celebrated Thanksgiving as a harvest feast.

In that era, the colonists were the ones to celebrate Thanksgiving every year for different reasons, such as the victory over an enemy, good harvest, and safe and yielding journeys. However, the Canadian side of the story is a little different.

As per Canadians, they celebrated the first Thanksgiving in the year 1578 after they completed their expedition safely. Martin Frobisher led this expedition. However, there are multiple theories about why people celebrate this day.

Why Do We Celebrate it in November?

It is common knowledge that people celebrate Thanksgiving day on the fourth Thursday of November. However, that has not always been the case. It was very different when the celebration started. The timeline for celebrating the holiday differs over the years.

In the year 1939, people were confused about when to celebrate Thanksgiving. Many governors from different states followed what the president mentioned about the holiday. A lot of states then started celebrating Thanksgiving on November 23. Some states declared November 30 as the day of Thanksgiving.

The government also instructed that Thanksgiving would be celebrated on the last Thursday of November. However, the people took a long time to conclude when to celebrate Thanksgiving. It led to a lot of confusion for the citizens as everything was haywire, and they could not decide when to conduct the feast and other traditional celebrations.

Almost after two years of going back and forth, President Roosevelt signed and confirmed that Thanksgiving would be on the fourth Thursday of November from that year onwards. Roosevelt also stated that the authorities would revise the Thanksgiving date again in 1942.

However, Congress came forward with legislation that no further changes will be made by any president henceforth. That is why we consistently celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of every November now. After Thanksgiving, there are various sales, like the Black Friday sale, and people shop for customized wall art and other things at reasonable prices.

Did Thanksgiving Always Include Serving Turkey?

Although today it has become a staple form of celebration where people include Turkey in the Thanksgiving feast mandatorily, things were quite different years ago. A hearty meal was the foundation of the first Thanksgiving when the Pilgrim and Wampanoag shared a dinner in 1621.

On the other hand, turkey wasn't even a part of the meal between the Pilgrim and the Wampanoag. Historians presented evidence that the Wampanoag brought deer during the dinner, while the pilgrims came with ducks or geese. People started to change a few things about the feast with changing needs.

People slowly started including turkey to replace the meat part of the feast for several reasons. One of the primary reasons was that turkey was abundant during that era. They could replace other meat sources, like cows or hens, with turkeys. Unlike cattle and poultry, which provide milk, eggs, and leather, the people only used turkeys for sourcing meat.

To make the most of the situation, it became a wiser choice to include turkey during a Thanksgiving feast instead of other meat options. Another benefit was that one turkey was sufficient for many people. Hence even a big family could enjoy a good time without worrying about food shortages or high costs. It is one thing that makes Thanksgiving a good holiday for celebration within a budget. Many shops also offer various deals on products, from groceries to custom hoodies, during this time.

How Did the Thanksgiving Football Games Begin?

Football games were not present at the time of the feast shared by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag, but they are a prevalent form of entertainment during Thanksgiving week. It became a tradition in 1876 when television networks screened the American Football games on Thanksgiving day.

Thanksgiving day became the day for teams to play football and for everyone to watch the games because it was a holiday where all the family members came together to celebrate. Since it was the time most people had the time to watch games, it became a tradition. It was also the same year Yale and Princeton decided to start their annual tradition of playing against each other on Thanksgiving day. You can also get a tshirt custom made for such football events.

How Did Thanksgiving Become a Recognized Holiday?

People initially celebrated Thanksgiving as a shared tradition. However, there was more to it. Farmers also wanted to celebrate this day to say thanks for the harvest they received that year. But there was no date for the celebration that worked for everyone.

Many trials and errors happened before President Abraham Lincoln urged the citizens to celebrate Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November. The Congress side added its inputs as well, and at last, they collectively decided that the fourth Thursday is the day when Thanksgiving will be celebrated, and it would be a national holiday all over the US.

Is Thanksgiving Limited to the United States?

You might consider Thanksgiving to originate from the ancestors in the United States only as it is one of the most popular festivals in the US. However, the truth is different. Many countries actively celebrate Thanksgiving as a festival.

Countries like Canada, Liberia, Netherlands, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Australia also celebrate Thanksgiving with the United States.

Conclusion

Thanksgiving is a unique holiday that holds a traditional value. Although the way we celebrate the festival has changed over the years, it still is one of the most exciting occasions, and we look forward to it all year. Today, people gather with their families not just to celebrate for the sake of it but to show gratitude for their loved ones, the opportunities they have, their blessings and prosperity, and much more. You can also get customized wall art to save the memories you make with your loved ones on Thanksgiving day.

Thanksgiving holds an exceptional place in every American's life. For some, it is a mandatory routine. For others, it is nostalgic to remember all the good times they had with their family while growing up.