In the United States, Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. This tradition dates back to 1621 and continues to be a symbol of the country. Established by Congress as a federal holiday just over eight decades ago, the fourth Thursday of November falls within a one-week window of possible dates: no earlier than the 22nd and no later than the 28th. This year, Thanksgiving will be celebrated on November 27th.
A festival whose origins can be traced to a 1621 harvest celebration held by English colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans
To fully explain this celebration, we must go back another century. Its origins date back to the early 17th century, when English colonists known as the Pilgrims arrived in North America aboard the Mayflower. A festival whose origins can be traced to a 1621 harvest celebration held by English colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans in what is now Massachusetts, Thanksgiving has not always remained on the current calendar.
According to the U.S. National Archives, the country’s first president, George Washington, proclaimed Thursday, November 26, 1789, as ‘Public Thanksgiving Day’
It all began after a harsh winter and great losses, when the settlers received help from the Wampanoag people, who taught them how to farm and survive in the new land. In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag shared a three-day feast to celebrate the first successful harvest, an event often remembered as the “First Thanksgiving.” Later, according to the U.S. National Archives, the country’s first president, George Washington, proclaimed Thursday, November 26, 1789, as “Public Thanksgiving Day.” However, in the following years, the celebration was observed on various dates, including days in other months. And even before 1939, Thanksgiving was celebrated on the last Thursday of the month.
In 1939, Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving forward by one week, arguing that a shorter holiday shopping period would have a negative economic impact
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation establishing Thanksgiving as the last Thursday of November. However, this date often resulted in Thanksgiving falling on the last day of November. Therefore, in 1939, Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving forward by one week, arguing that a shorter holiday shopping period would have a negative economic impact. Not all states agreed with the change, so there was a brief period in American history when Americans celebrated Thanksgiving on different Thursdays in November.
Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season, which extends until New Year’s Day
In any case, the disagreement didn’t last long. About two years later, a unified date for Thanksgiving in the United States had been established again. In early December 1941, the House of Representatives and the Senate agreed to set the fourth Thursday of November as the official date for the holiday, with Roosevelt’s signature. From then, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season, which extends until New Year’s Day. The Friday after Thanksgiving is one of the biggest shopping days of the year. In fact, even though Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated in the rest of the world, capitalism has led to the widespread adoption of Black Friday as a shopping event.
In any case, Thanksgiving has become a holiday that unites families and a society that, this year, perhaps needs it more than ever. The United States is not exactly experiencing a period of stability. 2025 has been a year in which inflation has hit society hard, a situation that, combined with the government shutdown, has left millions of citizens in limbo, seeing SNAP benefits blocked, wages unpaid, or with no set date for returning to work. So more than ever, Thanksgiving will be a day of joy and remembering what we are grateful for.