Thanksgiving 2026 Countdown

Thanksgiving traces its origins to the 1621 harvest feast shared by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people in Plymouth, Massachusetts. President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it a national holiday in 1863, setting it on the final Thursday of November. In 1941, Congress officially fixed it as the fourth Thursday of November. The holiday is centered around family gatherings and a traditional feast featuring turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. It also kicks off the holiday shopping season.

You might also be interested in: Independence Day 2026, Labor Day 2026, Columbus Day 2026.

The story of Thanksgiving as we know it begins in 1621, when the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians shared a harvest feast in Plymouth Colony. However, this 'first Thanksgiving' was actually a three-day celebration of a successful harvest, not a religious observance. There were probably no pies or potatoes — the menu likely included venison, wild fowl, corn, and seafood.

Surprisingly, Thanksgiving didn't become a national holiday until over 200 years later. Writer Sarah Josepha Hale (author of 'Mary Had a Little Lamb') campaigned for 36 years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday, writing thousands of letters to presidents and governors. Abraham Lincoln finally proclaimed it a national holiday in 1863, during the height of the Civil War, as a way to foster unity.

The date of Thanksgiving has shifted over time. Lincoln set it on the last Thursday of November, but in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved it up a week to create a longer Christmas shopping season during the Great Depression. This proved so unpopular that Congress fixed it permanently on the fourth Thursday of November in 1941.

Today, Thanksgiving is America's most beloved family holiday. It's a day of gratitude, feasting, football, and parades — with over 46 million turkeys eaten each year, and nearly 50 million people traveling to be with family.