Today, November 28, 2013, is Thanksgiving Day in the United States of America. Thanksgiving is celebrated every fourth Thursday of November and has a long history dating back to the 17th century A.D. It was first celebrated in America in 1621 at Plymouth, Massachusetts by the early Pilgrim settlers after that year’s bountiful harvest. It was their expression of joy and appreciation to God for life and prosperity. Over the years, as more Americans accepted and embraced the practice, Thanksgiving became a national holiday when President Abraham Lincoln declared it so in 1863 during the American Civil War with the words: “I invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November, as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 07:31:12 +0000