Thanksgiving in the United States is the fourth Thursday in November. The next day is also called Black Friday.
Is Thanksgiving a public holiday?
Thanksgiving is a public holiday. This is a day off for the general public, schools and most businesses are closed. Thanksgiving is a federal holiday in the United States.
Family celebration
Thanksgiving is a day Americans thank them for having it. Family and friends gather for a meal, which traditionally includes roast turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce, gravy and pumpkin pie.
In some towns, there will be a parade over the Thanksgiving weekend. In most regions, these celebrations also mark the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.
Long weekend in more than 20 states
The day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday, is a holiday in more than 20 states. It is common to travel and visit family and friends during long weekends.
Many people have holidays
Most government offices, businesses, schools, universities, colleges and other organizations are closed on Thanksgiving. Many offices and companies allow employees to have a four-day long weekend on Thanksgiving, so these offices and companies are also closed the day after Thanksgiving. The public transportation system usually does not operate according to the normal schedule.
Thanksgiving is one of the busiest periods for travel in the United States. This can cause congestion and overcrowding. Seasonal parades and busy football matches may also disrupt local traffic.
U.S. holidays since 1863
Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been an annual holiday in the United States. However, not everyone sees Thanksgiving as a reason to celebrate.
Since 1970, a group of Native Americans and their supporters have held a National Day of Mourning protest every Thanksgiving in Plymouth Rock, Plymouth, Massachusetts. American Indian Heritage Day is also celebrated at this time of year.
Some people claim that the first Thanksgiving was held in El Paso, Texas in 1598. Another early event was held in the Colony of Virginia in 1619. Many people trace the origins of modern Thanksgiving to the harvest celebrations held by pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, their first real Thanksgiving was in 1623, when they thanked the rain for ending the drought. These early Thanksgiving Days took the form of a special church service rather than a feast.
In the second half of the 1600s, post-harvest Thanksgiving became more common and began to become an annual event. However, they celebrate on different days in different communities. In some places, there is more than one Thanksgiving every year. The first President of the United States, George Washington, declared the first National Thanksgiving Day in 1789.