The tradition of the Thanksgiving celebration as a time to thank God for His blessings has been celebrated in different parts of America since the 1500s, including the Pilgrims celebration in 1621, and even present day.
After the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts in 1620, they faced a harsh winter which only half of them survived. After much toil and lessons learned, the Pilgrims reaped a good harvest. They invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians to join them for three days of feasting, play, and prayer.
Following the Pilgrim’s example, Thanksgiving celebrations became common throughout New England during the colonial years.
America celebrated her first national Thanksgiving in 1789. Following that, national Thanksgiving Proclamations were issued only sporadically over the next several decades. After Abraham Lincoln's 1863 proclamation for a day of Thanksgiving, presidents again began declaring national Thanksgiving Days. The date, however, varied widely.
In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the precedent of celebrating Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of each November. And in 1941, Congress permanently established that day as the national Thanksgiving holiday.
America's unique Thanksgiving Day celebration reminds us to be thankful to God for all the blessings we have as individuals and as a nation! Continue this wonderful thanksgiving tradition in your family!
