Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in Canada and the United States of America. It is celebrated as a day of offering thanks for the blessings of the harvest of the previous year. It falls on different dates in both the countries. In Canada it falls on the second Monday of October every year whereas in the US it is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.

Thanksgiving Day has its own origins in history. A group of English protestant workers known as “The Pilgrims” came to the new world for seeking religious freedom. They were also referred to as the “Puritans” as purifying the teachings and ceremonies of the English Church was their aim. King James I who was ruling England at that time, frowned upon such ideas and had these people punished and deported them out of England. They sought refuge in the Netherlands, but they missed the English way of life. On getting an opportunity to go to America, they happily agreed. The boarded the ship Mayflower and landed in America on November 21, 1620. About a month later they established their own colony “Plymouth” as a remembrance of the city from which they originally hailed. It is said that most of them perished in the harsh winter of 1621. The remaining people chose to remain and with the help of the local Native Americans started to grow crops for their living. They were able to reap a harvest and they decided to celebrate the first Thanksgiving Day as a token of gratitude towards the American Indians. They used to have a sumptuous feast of turkey and corn. Governor William Bradford decreed a three day feast on July 20, 1623 for the Thanksgiving celebrations.

From Plymouth it moved to other New England colonies. During the days of the American Revolution, eight days were observed as Thanksgiving days for praying for victory against the British. George Washington proclaimed November 26, as the official Thanksgiving Day in 1789. This was later changed by the Episcopalian church who decreed that the first Thursday in November would be celebrated as Thanksgiving Day. Many states did not agree to this and in 1830 New York declared the first official Thanksgiving Day followed by states such as Virginia.

In the 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November as the official Thanksgiving Day. This was celebrated for the next 75 years till 1941 when the US Congress declared the fourth Thursday in November should be celebrated as Thanksgiving Day. This has stood the test of time till date.

There are certain fun facts about Thanksgiving Day which one should also be aware of.

1. In the US alone about 280 million turkeys are sold for Thanksgiving celebrations all over the country.
2. California is said to be the largest consumer of Turkey in this world.
3. Thanksgiving Day has given birth to the concept of “Black Friday”. Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day and this day marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season all over the United States.
4. Many countries have their own versions of Thanksgiving Day.
5. It is because of this day that the turkey has become a very famous bird.
6. It is said that more than 91% of Americans eat turkey on this day.
7. The wishbone of the turkey is used as a good luck bringing ritual on Thanksgiving Day.
8. The National Football League started the Thanksgiving Classic games in 1920 and ever since then games are hosted between teams Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys. This tradition continues till today.

Thus Thanksgiving Day is celebrated as a token of appreciation which shows that humanity is still alive in this world.