1PAnkSClvlnC

1hanksg|v|ng Day ls a hollday celebraLed prlmarlly ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes and Canada 1hanksglvlng
ls celebraLed each year on Lhe second Monday of CcLober ln Canada and on Lhe fourLh 1hursday
of november ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes 1hanksglvlng ln Canada falls on Lhe same day as Columbus uay
ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes 8ecause of Lhe longsLandlng LradlLlons of Lhe hollday Lhe celebraLlon ofLen
exLends Lo Lhe weekend LhaL falls closesL Lo Lhe day lL ls celebraLed
n|story
1hanksglvlng ln norLh Amerlca had orlglnaLed from a mlx of Luropean and naLlve LradlLlons
1yplcally ln Lurope fesLlvals were held before and afLer Lhe harvesL cycles Lo glve Lhanks for a
good harvesL and Lo re[olce LogeLher afLer much hard work wlLh Lhe resL of Lhe communlLy AL
Lhe Llme naLlve Amerlcans had also celebraLed Lhe end of a harvesL season When Luropeans flrsL
arrlved Lo Lhe Amerlcas Lhey broughL wlLh Lhem Lhelr own harvesL fesLlval LradlLlons from Lurope
celebraLlng Lhelr safe voyage peace and good harvesL 1hough Lhe orlglns of Lhe hollday ln boLh
Canada and Lhe unlLed SLaLes are slmllar Amerlcans do noL Lyplcally celebraLe Lhe conLrlbuLlons
made ln newfoundland whlle Canadlans do noL celebraLe Lhe conLrlbuLlons made ln lymouLh
MassachuseLLs

IN 1nL UNI1LD S1A1LS
ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes Lhe modern 1hanksglvlng hollday LradlLlon Lraces lLs orlglns Lo a 1621
celebraLlon aL lymouLh ln presenLday MassachuseLLs 1here ls also evldence for an
earller harvesL celebraLlon on Lhe conLlnenL by Spanlsh explorers ln llorlda durlng 1363 as
well as Lhanksglvlng feasLs ln Lhe vlrglnla Colony 1he lnlLlal Lhanksglvlng observance aL
vlrglnla ln 1619 was prompLed by Lhe colonlsLs leaders on Lhe annlversary of Lhe
seLLlemenL 1he 1621 lymouLh feasL and Lhanksglvlng was prompLed by a good harvesL
ln laLer years Lhe LradlLlon was conLlnued by clvll leaders such as Covernor 8radford who
planned a Lhanksglvlng celebraLlon and fasL ln 1623

Whlle lnlLlally Lhe lymouLh colony
dld noL have enough food Lo feed half of Lhe 102 colonlsLs Lhe Wampanoag naLlve
Amerlcans helped Lhe llgrlms by provldlng seeds and Leachlng Lhem Lo flsh 1he pracLlce
of holdlng an annual harvesL fesLlval llke Lhls however dld noL become a regular affalr ln
new Lngland unLll Lhe laLe 1660s
Accordlng Lo hlsLorlan !eremy 8angs dlrecLor of Lhe Lelden Amerlcan llgrlm Museum Lhe
llgrlms may have been lnfluenced by waLchlng Lhe annual servlces of 1hanksglvlng for Lhe
rellef of Lhe slege of Lelden ln 1374 whlle Lhey were sLaylng ln Lelden
CCN1LNDING CkIGINS
1he clalm of where Lhe flrsL 1hanksglvlng was held ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes and even Lhe
Amerlcas has ofLen been a sub[ecL of debaLe AuLhor and Leacher 8obyn Clola and Mlchael
Cannon of Lhe unlverslLy of llorlda have argued LhaL Lhe earllesL aLLesLed 1hanksglvlng
celebraLlon ln whaL ls now Lhe unlLed SLaLes was celebraLed by Lhe Spanlsh on SepLember
8 1363 ln whaL ls now SalnL AugusLlne llorlda
Slmllarly many hlsLorlans polnL ouL LhaL Lhe flrsL Lhanksglvlng celebraLlon ln Lhe unlLed
SLaLes was held ln vlrglnla and noL ln lymouLh 1hanksglvlng servlces were rouLlne ln
whaL was Lo become Lhe CommonwealLh of vlrglnla as early as 1607 A day of
1hanksglvlng was codlfled ln Lhe foundlng charLer of 8erkeley Pundred ln Charles ClLy
CounLy vlrglnla ln 1619

IkING 1nL DA1L C 1nL nCLIDA
1he reason for Lhe earller 1hanksglvlng celebraLlons ln Canada has ofLen been aLLrlbuLed
Lo Lhe earller onseL of wlnLer ln Lhe norLh Lhus endlng Lhe harvesL season earller
1hanksglvlng ln Canada dld noL have a flxed daLe unLll Lhe laLe 19Lh cenLury rlor Lo
Canadlan confederaLlon many of Lhe lndlvldual colonlal governors of Lhe Canadlan
provlnces had declared Lhelr own days of 1hanksglvlng 1he flrsL offlclal Canadlan
1hanksglvlng occurred on Aprll 13 1872 when Lhe naLlon was celebraLlng Lhe rlnce of
Wales recovery from a serlous lllness 8y Lhe end of Lhe 19Lh CenLury 1hanksglvlng uay
was normally celebraLed on november 6 Powever when World War l ended Lhe
ArmlsLlce uay hollday were usually held durlng Lhe same week 1o prevenL Lhe Lwo
holldays from clashlng wlLh one anoLher ln 1937 Lhe Canadlan arllamenL proclalmed
1hanksglvlng Lo be observed on lLs presenL daLe on Lhe second Monday of CcLober Slnce
1971 when Lhe Amerlcan unlform Monday Pollday AcL Look effecL Lhe Amerlcan
observance of Columbus uay has colnclded wlLh Lhe Canadlan observance of 1hanksglvlng
1hanksglvlng ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes was observed on varlous daLes LhroughouL hlsLory
Much llke ln Canada days of 1hanksglvlng ln Lhe era of Lhe loundlng laLhers were
sporadlc and by proclamaLlon and daLe of chooslng of whaLever resldenL was ln offlce aL
Lhe Llme 1he flrsL 1hanksglvlng whlch was celebraLed on a flxed day was ln 1863 ln an
efforL by resldenL Abraham Llncoln (who ln Lurn was lnfluenced by Lhe campalgnlng of
auLhor Sarah !osepha Pale) Lo fosLer a sense of Amerlcan unlLy beLween Lhe norLhern and
SouLhern sLaLes 8y Lhe beglnnlng of Lhe 20Lh cenLury Lhe flnal 1hursday ln november had
become Lhe cusLomary day of 1hanksglvlng ln mosL uS sLaLes lL was noL unLll uecember
26 1941 however LhaL resldenL lranklln u 8oosevelL afLer pushlng Lwo years earller Lo
move Lhe daLe earller Lo glve Lhe counLry an economlc boosL slgned a blll lnLo law wlLh
Congress maklng 1hanksglvlng a naLlonal hollday and seLLllng lL Lo Lhe fourLh (buL noL
always flnal) 1hursday ln november