Thanksgiving From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the holiday in several nations. For the holiday in the United States, see Thanksgiving (United States). For the holiday in Canada, see Thanksgiving (Canada). For other uses, see Thanksgiving (disambiguation). Page semi-protected Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving grace 1942.jpg Saying grace before carving a turkey at Thanksgiving dinner in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania in 1942. Observed by United States Canada Liberia Puerto Rico Norfolk Island Type National, cultural Date 2nd Monday in October (Canada) 1st Thursday in November (Liberia) Last Wednesday in November (Norfolk Island) 4th Thursday in November (USA) 2013 date October 14, 2013 (Canada); November 7, 2013 (Liberia); November 27, 2013 (Norfolk Island); November 28, 2013 (USA) 2014 date October 13, 2014 (Canada); November 6, 2014 (Liberia); November 26, 2014 (Norfolk Island); November 27, 2014 (USA, Puerto Rico) Thanksgiving Day (Jour de lAction de grâce in Canadian French) is a national holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. Several other places around the world observe similar celebrations. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada. Thanksgiving has its historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, and has long been celebrated in a secular manner as well. Contents [hide] 1 History 1.1 In Canada 1.2 In the United States 1.2.1 Debate about first celebrations in the United States 1.3 Fixing the date of the holiday 2 Observance in North America 2.1 Canada 2.2 United States 3 Other observances known as Thanksgiving 3.1 Germany 3.2 Grenada 3.3 Japan 3.4 Liberia 3.5 The Netherlands 3.6 Norfolk Island 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 7 External links History Prayers of thanks and special thanksgiving ceremonies are common among almost all religions after harvests and at other times.[1] The Thanksgiving holidays history in North America is rooted in English traditions dating from the Protestant Reformation. It also has aspects of a harvest festival, even though the harvest in New England occurs well before the late-November date on which the modern Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated.[1][2] In the English tradition, days of thanksgiving and special thanksgiving religious services became important during the English Reformation in the reign of Henry VIII and in reaction to the large number of religious holidays on the Catholic calendar. Before 1536 there were 95 Church holidays, plus 52 Sundays, when people were required to attend church and forego work and sometimes pay for expensive celebrations. The 1536 reforms reduced the number of Church holidays to 27, but some Puritans, the radical reformers of their age, wished to completely eliminate all Church holidays, including Christmas and Easter. The holidays were to be replaced by specially called Days of Fasting or Days of Thanksgiving, in response to events that the Puritans viewed as acts of special providence. Unexpected disasters or threats of judgement from on high called for Days of Fasting. Special blessings, viewed as coming from God, called for Days of Thanksgiving. For example, Days of Fasting were called on account of drought in 1611, floods in 1613, and plagues in 1604 and 1622. Days of Thanksgiving were called following the victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588 and following the deliverance of Queen Anne in 1705. An unusual annual Day of Thanksgiving began in 1606 following the failure of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 and developed into Guy Fawkes Day.[3] In Canada Main article: Thanksgiving (Canada) While some researchers state that there is no compelling narrative of the origins of the Canadian Thanksgiving day,[4] the first Canadian Thanksgiving is often traced back to 1578 and the explorer Martin Frobisher. Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean, held his Thanksgiving celebration not for harvest but in thanks for surviving the long journey from England through the perils of storms and icebergs. On his third and final voyage to the far north, Frobisher held a formal ceremony in Frobisher Bay in Baffin Island (present-day Nunavut) to give thanks to God and in a service ministered by the preacher Robert Wolfall they celebrated Communion.[5] Oven roasted turkey The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are also sometimes traced to the French settlers who came to New France with explorer Samuel de Champlain in the early 17th century, who celebrated their successful harvests. The French settlers in the area typically had feasts at the end of the harvest season and continued throughout the winter season, even sharing food with the indigenous peoples of the area.[6] As settlers arrived in Canada from New England, late autumn Thanksgiving celebrations became common. New immigrants into the country, such as the Irish, Scottish and Germans, also added their own traditions to the harvest celebrations. Most of the U.S. aspects of Thanksgiving (such as the turkey), were incorporated when United Empire Loyalists began to flee from the United States during the American Revolution and settled in Canada.[6] Thanksgiving is now a statutory holiday in most jurisdictions of Canada, with the exception of the Atlantic provinces of Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.[7] In the United States Main article: Thanksgiving (United States) The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth By Jennie A. Brownscombe (1914) In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is commonly, but not universally, traced to a poorly documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts. The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest. Pilgrims and Puritans who began emigrating from England in the 1620s and 1630s carried the tradition of Days of Fasting and Days of Thanksgiving with them to New England. Several days of Thanksgiving were held in early New England history that have been identified as the First Thanksgiving, including Pilgrim holidays in Plymouth in 1621 and 1623, and a Puritan holiday in Boston in 1631.[8][9] According to historian Jeremy Bangs, director of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, the Pilgrims may have been influenced by watching the annual services of Thanksgiving for the relief of the siege of Leiden in 1574, while they were staying in Leiden.[10] In later years, religious thanksgiving services were declared by civil leaders such as Governor Bradford, who planned a thanksgiving celebration and fast in 1623.[11][12][13] The practice of holding an annual harvest festival did not become a regular affair in New England until the late 1660s.[14] Thanksgiving proclamations were made mostly by church leaders in New England up until 1682, and then by both state and church leaders until after the American Revolution. During the revolutionary period, political influences affected the issuance of Thanksgiving proclamations. Various proclamations were made by royal governors, John Hancock, General George Washington, and the Continental Congress,[15] each giving thanks to God for events favorable to their causes.[16] As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nation-wide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God.[17] In modern times the President of the United States, in addition to issuing a proclamation, will pardon a turkey, which spares the birds life and ensures that it will spend the duration of its life roaming freely on farmland.[18] Debate about first celebrations in the United States The traditional representation of where the first Thanksgiving was held in the United States has often been a subject of boosterism and debate, though the debate is often confused by mixing up the ideas of a Thanksgiving holiday celebration and a Thanksgiving religious service. According to author James Baker, this debate is a tempest in a beanpot and marvelous nonsense.[8] Local boosters in Virginia, Florida, and Texas promote their own colonists, who (like many people getting off a boat) gave thanks for setting foot again on dry land. —Jeremy Bangs[10] These claims include an earlier religious service by Spanish explorers in Texas at San Elizario in 1598, as well as thanksgiving feasts in the Virginia Colony.[19] Robyn Gioia and Michael Gannon of the University of Florida argue that the earliest Thanksgiving service in what is now the United States was celebrated by the Spanish on September 8, 1565, in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida.[20][21] A day for Thanksgiving services was codified in the founding charter of Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County, Virginia in 1619.[22] According to Baker, Historically, none of these had any influence over the evolution of the modern United States holiday. The American holidays true origin was the New England Calvinist Thanksgiving. Never coupled with a Sabbath meeting, the Puritan observances were special days set aside during the week for thanksgiving and praise in response to Gods providence.[8] Fixing the date of the holiday The reason for the earlier Thanksgiving celebrations in Canada has often been attributed to the earlier onset of winter in the north, thus ending the harvest season earlier.[23] Thanksgiving in Canada did not have a fixed date until the late 19th century. Prior to Canadian Confederation, many of the individual colonial governors of the Canadian provinces had declared their own days of Thanksgiving. The first official Canadian Thanksgiving occurred on April 15, 1872,[24] when the nation was celebrating the Prince of Wales recovery from a serious illness.[23] By the end of the 19th century, Thanksgiving Day was normally celebrated on November 6. However, when World War I ended, the Armistice Day holiday was usually held during the same week. To prevent the two holidays from clashing with one another, in 1957 the Canadian Parliament proclaimed Thanksgiving to be observed on its present date on the second Monday of October.[6] Since 1971, when the American Uniform Monday Holiday Act took effect, the American observance of Columbus Day has coincided with the Canadian observance of Thanksgiving.[25][26] Much as in Canada, Thanksgiving in the United States was observed on various dates throughout history. From the time of the Founding Fathers until the time of Lincoln, the date Thanksgiving was observed varied from state to state. The final Thursday in November had become the customary date in most U.S. states by the beginning of the 19th century. Thanksgiving was first celebrated on the same date by all states in 1863 by a presidential proclamation of Abraham Lincoln. Influenced by the campaigning of author Sarah Josepha Hale, who wrote letters to politicians for around 40 years trying to make it an official holiday, Lincoln proclaimed the date to be the final Thursday in November in an attempt to foster a sense of American unity between the Northern and Southern states.[27] Because of the ongoing Civil War and the Confederate States of Americas refusal to recognize Lincolns authority, a nationwide Thanksgiving date was not realized until Reconstruction was completed in the 1870s. On December 26, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a joint resolution of Congress changing the national Thanksgiving Day from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday. Two years earlier, Roosevelt had used a presidential proclamation to try to achieve this change, reasoning that earlier celebration of the holiday would give the country an economic boost. Observance in North America Canada Pumpkin pie is commonly served on and around Thanksgiving in North America. Main article: Thanksgiving (Canada) Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day (Canadian French: Jour de lAction de grâce), occurring on the second Monday in October, is an annual Canadian holiday to give thanks at the close of the harvest season. Although the original act of Parliament references God and the holiday is celebrated in churches, the holiday is mostly celebrated in a secular manner. Thanksgiving is a statutory holiday in all provinces in Canada, except for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. While businesses may remain open in these provinces, the holiday is nonetheless, recognized and celebrated regardless of its status.[28][29][30][31][32] United States Main article: Thanksgiving (United States) Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day, currently celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November by federal legislation in 1941, has been an annual tradition in the United States by presidential proclamation since 1863 and by state legislation since the Founding Fathers of the United States. Historically, Thanksgiving began as a tradition of celebrating the harvest of the year.[33] Other observances known as Thanksgiving See also: List of harvest festivals Germany The Harvest Thanksgiving Festival (Erntedankfest) is an early October, German festival. The festival has a significant religious component to it but also, like its North American counterpart, includes large harvest dinners (consisting mostly of autumn crops) and parades. The Bavarian beer festival Oktoberfest generally takes place within the vicinity of Erntedankfest. Grenada In the West Indian island of Grenada, there is a national holiday known as Thanksgiving Day which is celebrated on October 25. Even though it bears the same name, and is celebrated at roughly the same time as the American and Canadian versions of Thanksgiving, this holiday is unrelated to either of those celebrations. Instead the holiday marks the anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of the island in 1983, in response to the deposition and execution of Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop.[34] Japan Main article: Labor Thanksgiving Day Labor Thanksgiving Day (勤労感謝の日 Kinrō Kansha no Hi?) is a national holiday in Japan. It takes place annually on November 23. The law establishing the holiday, which was adopted during the American occupation after World War II, cites it as an occasion for commemorating labor and production and giving one another thanks. It has roots in an ancient harvest ceremony (Niiname-sai (新嘗祭?)) celebrating hard work. Liberia In the West African country of Liberia, which beginning in 1820 was colonized by free African Americans (most of whom had been formerly enslaved), Thanksgiving is celebrated on the first Thursday of November.[35] The Netherlands Many of the Pilgrims who migrated to the Plymouth Plantation had resided in the city of Leiden from 1609–1620, many of whom had recorded their births, marriages and deaths at the Pieterskerk. To commemorate this, a non-denominational Thanksgiving Day service is held each year on the morning of the American Thanksgiving Day in the Pieterskerk, a Gothic church in Leiden, to commemorate the hospitality the Pilgrims received in Leiden on their way to the New World.[36] Norfolk Island In the Australian external territory of Norfolk Island, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the last Wednesday of November, similar to the pre-World War II American observance on the last Thursday of the month. This means the Norfolk Island observance is the day before or six days after the United States observance. The holiday was brought to the island by visiting American whaling ships.[37] See also Harvest festival Black Friday (shopping) References 1.^ Jump up to: a b Hodgson, pp. 156-159 2.Jump up ^ Baker, Chapter 1, especially pp.12-15. 3.Jump up ^ Baker, James W. (2009). Thanksgiving: the biography of an American holiday. UPNE. pp. 1–14. ISBN 9781584658016. 4.Jump up ^ Kaufman, Jason Andrew (2009). The Origins of Canadian & American Political Differences. Harvard University Press. p. 29. ISBN 9780674031364. 5.Jump up ^ The three voyages of Martin Frobisher: in search of a passage to Cathai and India by the northwest AD 1576-1578. 6.^ Jump up to: a b c Solski, Ruth Canadas Traditions and Celebrations McGill-Queens Press,ISBN 1-55035-694-1 p.12 7.Jump up ^ Statutory Holidays in Canada. Retrieved 2012-10-06. 8.^ Jump up to: a b c Baker, Chapter 1. 9.Jump up ^ Alvin J. Schmidt (2004). How Christianity Changed the World. Zondervan. Retrieved 2012-01-30. Their leader, Governor William Bradford, issued a formal proclamation commanding the people to give thanks to God for having received divine protection during a terrible winter and for having received their first harvest. It was also new that the Pilgrims celebrated their thanksgiving by eating wild turkey (an indigenous bird) and venison. 10.^ Jump up to: a b Jeremy Bangs. Influences. The Pilgrims Leiden. Retrieved 2010-09-11. 11.Jump up ^ Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647, pp. 120-121. 12.Jump up ^ Bradford, History of Plymouth Plantation, pp. 135-142. 13.Jump up ^ The fast and thanksgiving days of New England by William DeLoss Love, Houghton, Mifflin and Co., Cambridge, 1895 14.Jump up ^ Kaufman, Jason Andrew (2009). The origins of Canadian and American political differences. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. p. 28. ISBN 0-674-03136-9. 15.Jump up ^ Klos, Stanley. Thanksgiving Day Proclamations. PRESIDENTIAL THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATIONS. Historic.us. Retrieved 16 October 2013. 16.Jump up ^ Hodgson, pp. 159-166 17.Jump up ^ Hodgson, p. 167 18.Jump up ^ Megan Slack. The Definitive History of the Presidential Turkey Pardon | The White House. Whitehouse.gov. Retrieved 2012-11-11. 19.Jump up ^ C.Michael Hogan. 2011. Thanksgiving. Eds. Cutler Cleveland & Peter Saundry. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC 20.Jump up ^ Wilson, Craig (Nov 21, 2007). Florida teacher chips away at Plymouth Rock Thanksgiving myth. Usatoday. Retrieved 2011-09-05. 21.Jump up ^ Davis, Kenneth C. (Nov 25, 2008). A French Connection. Nytimes. Retrieved 2011-09-05. 22.Jump up ^ The First Thanksgiving Proclamation — 20 June 1676. The Covenant News. Retrieved 2008-11-27. 23.^ Jump up to: a b Kaufman, Jason Andrew The origins of Canadian and American political differences Harvard University Press, 2009, ISBN 0-6740-3136-9 p.29 24.Jump up ^ History of Thanksgiving. thanksgiving2013.org. Retrieved 4 August 2013. 25.Jump up ^ LBJ Signs Bill to Set Up Five 3-Day Holidays. Sarasota Herald-Tribune (via Google News). Associated Press. Jun 29, 1968. Retrieved 2011-12-06.The bill in question became the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. 26.Jump up ^ Text of the 1968 Uniform Monday Holiday Act. US Government Archives (archives.gov). Retrieved 2011-12-06. 27.Jump up ^ Morill, Ann Thanksgiving and Other Harvest Festivals Infobase Publishing, ISBN 1-6041-3096-2 p.33 28.Jump up ^ Paid public holidays. WorkRights.ca. 29.Jump up ^ Thanksgiving - is it a Statutory Holiday?. Government of Nova Scotia. Retrieved 2008-10-13. 30.Jump up ^ Statutes, Chapter E-6.2 (PDF). Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved 2008-10-13. 31.Jump up ^ RSNL1990 Chapter L-2 - Labour Standards Act. Assembly of Newfoundland. Retrieved 2008-10-13. 32.Jump up ^ Statutory Holidays (PDF). Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, Canada. Archived from the original on 2008-02-29. 33.Jump up ^ Thanksgiving Day. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2011-11-25. 34.Jump up ^ Official website of the government of Grenada 35.Jump up ^ Vice President Boakai Joins Catholic Community in Bomi to Celebrate Thanksgiving Day. The Executive Mansion. Republic of Liberia. Nov 5, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-28. 36.Jump up ^ 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. 37.Jump up ^ Australian Government Attorney-Generals Department website Sources Baker, James W. (2009). Thanksgiving: the biography of an American holiday. UPNE. p. 273. ISBN 9781584658016. Bangs, Jeremy D. Thanksgiving on the Net: Roast Bull with Cranberry Sauce. Sail 1620. Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2012-10-23. Colman, Penny (2008). Thanksgiving: The True Story. Macmillan. p. 149. ISBN 9780805082296. Dow, Judy; Slapin, Beverly (Jun 12, 2006). Deconstructing the Myths of The First Thanksgiving. Oyate.org. Retrieved 2010-11-29. Hillstrom, Laurie Collier (2007). The Thanksgiving book: a companion to the holiday covering its history, lore, .... Omnigraphics. p. 328. ISBN 9780780804036. Hodgson, Godfrey (2006). A Great and Godly Adventure; The Pilgrims and the Myth of the First Thanksgiving. New York: Public Affairs. p. 212. 978-1-58648-373-9. External links Abraham Lincolns 1863 Proclamation of Thanksgiving christiananswers.net/q-wall/wal-alincoln-tgiving.html Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Thanksgiving Media related to Thanksgiving at Wikimedia Commons Thanksgiving at the Open Directory Project [hide] v· t· e Thanksgiving History and traditions Canada Samuel de Champlain· Martin Frobisher· Halifax· First Nations United States Pilgrims· Mayflower· Plymouth Colony· Plymouth Rock· Native Americans· Samoset· Squanto· Wampanoag· Cornucopia· National Thanksgiving Proclamation· Franksgiving· National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation· Cape Cod· William Penn· Massachusetts· Sarah Josepha Hale· Blackout Wednesday Cuisine Thanksgiving dinner· Turkey· Stuffing· Gravy· Cranberry sauce· Mashed potatoes· Sweet potatoes· Winter squash· Yams· Corn· Green bean casserole· Pumpkin pie· Pecan pie· Sweet potato pie· Apple cider Songs Alices Restaurant· Bringing In the Sheaves· Come, Ye Thankful People, Come· For the Beauty of the Earth· Home for the Holidays· Jingle Bells· Now Thank We All Our God· Over the River and Through the Wood· Simple Gifts· The Thanksgiving Song· We Gather Together· We Plough the Fields and Scatter Associated events Cultural Christmas and holiday season· Harvest festivals· Thanksgiving in film· Thanksgiving television specials· Winter festivals· Lighting of the Macys Great Tree· Worlds Largest Disco· Black Friday (shopping) Parades Belk Carolinas (Charlotte)· McDonalds (Chicago)· Americas (Detroit)· K-W Oktoberfest (Kitchener-Waterloo)· Hollywood Christmas (Los Angeles)· Macys (New York City)· 6abc-Dunkin Donuts (Philadelphia)· My Macys Holiday (Pittsburgh)· Americas Hometown (Plymouth) Protests National Day of Mourning· Unthanksgiving Day· Buy Nothing Day Sports Football NFL on Thanksgiving Day· CFL Thanksgiving Classic· Turkey Day Classic· English–Latin rivalry Basketball DirecTV Classic· Battle 4 Atlantis· Maui Invitational Tournament· Old Spice Classic Turkey Trots Atlanta Marathon· Berwick Run for the Diamonds· Buffalo Turkey Trot· Dallas Turkey Trot· Feaster Five Road Race· Manchester Road Race Others National Dog Show· Pumpkin chunking· Turkey bowling· Turkey Night Grand Prix Categories: Agriculture in society Thanksgiving Harvest festivals Generic types of holidays October observances November observances Navigation menu Create account Log in Article Talk Read View source View history Search Main page Contents Featured content Current events Random article Donate to Wikipedia Wikimedia Shop Interaction Help About Wikipedia Community portal Recent changes Contact page Tools Print/export Languages Afrikaans Azərbaycanca বাংলা Български Català Česky Dansk Deitsch Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 हिन्दी Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Basa Jawa ქართული Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Lumbaart Magyar Malti मराठी مصرى Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本語 Norsk bokmål ភាសាខ្មែរ Polski Português Română Русский Scots Simple English Slovenčina Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் తెలుగు ไทย ᏣᎳᎩ Türkçe Türkmençe Українська Tiếng Việt Winaray 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last modified on 31 October 2013 at 22:28. 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