History UsefulNotes / ThanksgivingDay

Japan also celebrates Thanksgiving on November, although their tradition is different from the United States'. There it's known as "Labor Thanksgiving Day", and is always held on the 23rd regardless of which day of the week it falls on. In contrast with the American holiday, which is about thankfulness in general, Japan's Thanksgiving centers around paying respect to workers who do their jobs well. More recently, however, some Westernized elements such as large potluck dinner gatherings have become popular due to the country's growing population of expatriate Americans and Canadians.

Japan also celebrates Thanksgiving on November, although their tradition is different from the United States'. There it's known as "Labor Thanksgiving Day", and is always held on the 23rd regardless of which day of the week it falls on. In contrast with the American holiday, which is about thankfulness in general, Japan's holiday centers around paying respect to workers who do their jobs well. However, some Westernized elements such as large potluck dinner gatherings have become popular in recent years due to the country's growing population of expatriate Americans and Canadians.

Japan also celebrates Thanksgiving on November, though their tradition is different from the United States'. It's known as "Labor Thanksgiving Day" and it's always on the 23rd no matter what day of the week it is (though it sometimes parallels with the American holiday). Unlike the American holiday where it's made to be thankful for everything, Japan's holiday is more on paying respect to workers who do their jobs well. Though some recent traditions from North America adopted a westernized version of thanksgiving due to the high population of Americans and Canadians and now host large potluck parties.

It should probably be noted that, in the last few decades, observance of American Thanksgiving has become controversial among certain groups due to what they contend to be the holiday's association with European colonialism and the subsequent genocide and/or subjugation of UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans in the US. As a result, "National Day of Mourning" protests have been held annually since the 1970s by indigenous activist groups like the United American Indians of New England (UAINE) as a counter to more conventional Thanksgiving observances.

It should probably be noted that, in the last few decades, observance of American Thanksgiving has become controversial among certain groups, due to what they contend is the holiday's association with white colonialism and the subsequent genocide and/or subjugation of UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans in the US. As such, "National Day of Mourning" protests have been held annually since the 1970s by indigenous activist groups like the United American Indians of New England (UAINE) as a counter to more conventional Thanksgiving observances.

It should probably be noted that, in the last few decades, observance of American Thanksgiving has become controversial in certain quarters, due to the holiday's contended association with white colonialism and the subsequent genocide and/or subjugation of UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans in the US. As such, "National Day of Mourning" protests have been held annually since the 1970s by indigenous activist groups like the United American Indians of New England (UAINE) as a counter to more conventional Thanksgiving observances.

It should probably be noted that, in the last few decades, observance of American Thanksgiving has become controversial in certain quarters, due to what they perceive as the holiday's association with white colonialism and the subsequent genocide and/or subjugation of UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans in the US. As such, "National Day of Mourning" protests have been held annually since the 1970s by indigenous activist groups like the United American Indians of New England (UAINE) as a counter to more conventional Thanksgiving observances.

It should probably be noted that, in the last few decades, observance of American Thanksgiving has become controversial in certain quarters, due to the holiday's association with white colonialism and the subsequent genocide and/or subjugation of UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans in the US. As such, "National Day of Mourning" protests have been held annually since the 1970s by indigenous activist groups like the United American Indians of New England (UAINE) as a counter to more conventional Thanksgiving observances.

The choice of meat at the original feast is thought by historians to have been venison, but Ms. Hale put turkey on the map by publishing a Thanksgiving edition of her magazine, including turkey-centric feasts. The poultry industry capitalized on this through heavy advertising and PR events in the first half of the 20th century, cementing turkey as the Thanksgiving meal of choice, with an assist from the US military, which served turkey to the troops on Thanksgiving as the standard holiday meal thanks to turkey being relatively cheap. The tradition continues in the armed forces to this day, even resulting in the creation of a platoon-sized forward deployable Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the trimmings, so troops on the front lines can have a taste of home. The White House these days receives two live turkeys for Thanksgiving, who receive Presidential "pardons" and a cushy life at a local UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC petting zoo.[[note]] A [[NewerThanTheyThink surprisingly recent tradition]]: Presidents have been given turkeys since 1873, but they got eaten. Kennedy spontaneously decided to give back the last turkey he received, Nixon spared some, and Carter and Reagan both sent theirs to petting zoos, but it wasn't until George HW Bush in 1989 that the first official "pardon" was issued and the event was made into an annual occurrence.[[/note]]

It should probably be noted that, over the last few decades, observance of American Thanksgiving has become controversial in some quarters, due to the holiday's association with white colonialism and the subsequent genocide and/or subjugation of UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans in the US. "National Day of Mourning" protests have been held annually since the 1970s by indigenous activist groups such as the United American Indians of New England (UAINE) as a counter to conventional Thanksgiving observances.

Traditionally, Thanksgiving involves getting together with one's extended family or friends and having an enormous dinner, typically consisting of turkey (hence the nickname "Turkey Day") with stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes[[note]]Often called "yams" in the U.S., especially as "candied yams" (chunks of sweet potato roasted with copious amounts of butter and brown sugar, characteristic of soul food and a staple of Black American Thanksgiving dinners), but please do not confuse for the West African or East Asian tubers[[/note]] or squash, cranberry sauce, and other side dishes, followed by dessert, usually pumpkin pie and other pies. Because the US is [[UsefulNotes/MeltingPot a nation of immigrants]], Americans from more recent immigrant backgrounds are likely to include some of their traditional dishes with the meal, particularly festive ones, so expect (for example) lasagna at an Italian-American Thanksgiving, tamales at a Mexican-American one, pierogis at a Polish-American one, brisket at a Jewish-American one, and so on (roast lamb in particular will appear in several traditions, including Greek-Americans, Arab-Americans, and Armenian-Americans). Time not spent eating might be spent watching televised parades (some of which, like [[UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade the Macy's parade]] in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, are famous for their giant helium character balloons) or TV specials together.

Traditionally, Thanksgiving involves getting together with one's extended family or friends and having an enormous dinner, typically consisting of turkey (hence the nickname "Turkey Day") with stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes[[note]]Often called "yams" in the U.S., especially as "candied yams" (chunks of sweet potato roasted with copious amounts of butter and brown sugar, characteristic of soul food and a staple of Black American Thanksgiving dinners), but please do not confuse for the West African or East Asian tubers[[/note]] or squash, cranberry sauce, and various other side dishes, followed by dessert, usually pumpkin pie and other pies. Because the US is [[UsefulNotes/MeltingPot a nation of immigrants]], Americans from more recent immigrant backgrounds are likely to include some of their traditional dishes with the meal, particularly festive ones, so expect (e.g.) a lasagna at an Italian-American Thanksgiving, tamales at a Mexican-American one, pierogis at a Polish-American one, brisket at a Jewish-American one, and so on (roast lamb in particular will appear in several traditions, including Greek-Americans, Arab-Americans, and Armenian-Americans). The time not spent eating might be spent watching televised parades (some of which, such as [[UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade the Macy's parade]] in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, are famous for their giant helium character balloons) or TV specials together.

UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball is also a major part of Thanksgiving, with the UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague playing "Thanksgiving Classic" games -- until recently, the only NFL games to be played on a weekday (if you're not counting ''Series/MondayNightFootball''). Since 1970,[[note]] when the NFL merged with the rival AFL; prior to then both leagues scheduled multiple Thanksgiving contests each year. [[/note]] the league has annually featured two nationally-televised afternoon games, one played in UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} at 12:30 pm ET and another in [[UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex Dallas]] at 4:15 pm ET; in 2006, a third, rotating-site game was added in prime time. College and high school teams often play games on Thanksgiving weekend as well, and impromptu family or neighborhood "Turkey Bowl" contests are a tradition in many places.

Traditionally, Thanksgiving involves getting together with one's extended family or friends and having an enormous dinner, typically consisting of turkey (hence the nickname "Turkey Day") with stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes[[note]]Often called "yams" in the U.S., especially as "candied yams" (chunks of sweet potato roasted with copious amounts of butter and brown sugar, characteristic of soul food and a staple of Black American Thanksgiving dinners), but please do not confuse for the West African or East Asian tubers[[/note]] or squash, cranberry sauce, and various other side dishes, followed by dessert, usually pumpkin pie and other pies. Because the US is [[UsefulNotes/MeltingPot a nation of immigrants]], Americans from more recent immigrant backgrounds are likely to include some of their traditional dishes with the meal, particularly festive ones, so expect (e.g.) a lasagna at an Italian-American Thanksgiving, tamales at a Mexican-American one, pierogis at a Polish-American one, brisket at a Jewish-American one, and so on (roast lamb in particular will appear in several traditions, including Greek-Americans, Arab-Americans, and Armenian-Americans). The time not spent eating might be spent watching parades (some of which, such as [[UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade the Macy's parade]] in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, are famous for their giant helium character balloons) or TV specials together.

Traditionally, Thanksgiving involves getting together with one's extended family or friends and having an enormous dinner, typically consisting of turkey (hence the nickname "Turkey Day") with stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes,[[note]]Often called "yams" in the U.S., especially as "candied yams" (chunks of sweet potato roasted with copious amounts of butter and brown sugar, characteristic of soul food and a staple of Black American Thanksgiving dinners), but please do not confuse for the West African or East Asian tubers[[/note]] cranberry sauce, and various other side dishes, followed by dessert, usually pumpkin pie and other pies. Because the US is [[UsefulNotes/MeltingPot a nation of immigrants]], Americans from more recent immigrant backgrounds are likely to include some of their traditional dishes with the meal, particularly festive ones, so expect (e.g.) a lasagna at an Italian-American Thanksgiving, tamales at a Mexican-American one, pierogis at a Polish-American one, brisket at a Jewish-American one, and so on (roast lamb in particular will appear in several traditions, including Greek-Americans, Arab-Americans, and Armenian-Americans). The time not spent eating might be spent watching parades (some of which, such as [[UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade the Macy's parade]] in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, are famous for their giant helium character balloons) or TV specials together.

Traditionally, Thanksgiving involves getting together with one's extended family or friends and having an enormous dinner, typically consisting of turkey (hence the nickname "Turkey Day") with stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes,[[note]]Often called "yams" in the U.S., especially as "candied yams" (chunks of sweet potato roasted with copious amounts of butter and brown sugar, characteristic of soul food and a staple of Black American Thanksgiving dinners), but please do not confuse for the West African or East Asian tubers[[/note]] cranberry sauce and various other side dishes, followed by dessert, usually pumpkin pie and other pies. Because the US is [[UsefulNotes/MeltingPot a nation of immigrants]], Americans from more recent immigrant backgrounds are likely to include some of their traditional dishes with the meal, particularly festive ones, so expect (e.g.) a lasagna at an Italian-American Thanksgiving, tamales at a Mexican-American one, pierogis at a Polish-American one, brisket at a Jewish-American one, and so on (roast lamb in particular will appear in several traditions, including Greek-Americans, Arab-Americans, and Armenian-Americans). The time not spent eating might be spent watching parades (some of which, such as [[UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade the Macy's parade]] in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, are famous for their giant helium character balloons) or TV specials together.

Traditionally, Thanksgiving involves getting together with one's extended family or friends and having an enormous dinner, typically consisting of turkey (hence the nickname "Turkey Day") with stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce and various other side dishes, followed by dessert, usually pumpkin pie and other pies. Because the US is [[UsefulNotes/MeltingPot a nation of immigrants]], Americans from more recent immigrant backgrounds are likely to include some of their traditional dishes with the meal, particularly festive ones, so expect (e.g.) a lasagna at an Italian-American Thanksgiving, tamales at a Mexican-American one, pierogis at a Polish-American one, brisket at a Jewish-American one, and so on (roast lamb in particular will appear in several traditions, including Greek-Americans, Arab-Americans, and Armenian-Americans). The time not spent eating might be spent watching parades (some of which, such as [[UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade the Macy's parade]] in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, are famous for their giant helium character balloons) or TV specials together.

UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball is also a major part of Thanksgiving, with the UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague playing "Thanksgiving Classic" games -- until recently, the only NFL games to be played on a weekday (if you're not counting ''Series/MondayNightFootball''). Since 1970, the league has always featured two nationally-televised afternoon games, one played in UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} at 12:30 pm ET and another in [[UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex Dallas]] at 4:15 pm ET; in 2006, a third, rotating-site game was added in prime time. College and high school teams often play games on Thanksgiving weekend as well, and impromptu family or neighborhood "Turkey Bowl" contests are a tradition in many places.

Traditionally, Thanksgiving involves getting together with one's extended family or friends and having an enormous dinner, typically consisting of turkey (hence the nickname "Turkey Day"), stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce and various other side dishes, followed by dessert, usually pumpkin pie and other pies. Because the US is [[UsefulNotes/MeltingPot a nation of immigrants]], Americans from more recent immigrant backgrounds are likely to include some of their traditional dishes with the meal, particularly festive ones, so expect (e.g.) a lasagna at an Italian-American Thanksgiving, tamales at a Mexican-American one, pierogis at a Polish-American one, brisket at a Jewish-American one, and so on (roast lamb in particular will appear in several traditions, including Greek-Americans, Arab-Americans, and Armenian-Americans). The time not spent eating might be spent watching parades (some of which, such as [[UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade the Macy's parade]] in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, are famous for their giant helium character balloons) or TV specials together.

This is a UsefulNotes page about the American and Canadian Thanksgiving holidays. For the trope about fictional stories that focus on this holiday, see '''ThanksgivingEpisode'''.

Thanksgiving Day, or just Thanksgiving, is an annual holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada, but also in Grenada, Saint Lucia and Liberia. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. The end of the US Thanksgiving is commonly held to mark the beginning of that country's [[UsefulNotes/ChristmasInAmerica Christmas and holiday season]].

In the United States, the holiday is traditionally dated back to a feast given in 1621 by [[UsefulNotes/TheThirteenAmericanColonies the founders]] of the Plymouth colony in Massachusetts (often called "Pilgrims") to offer thanks to {{God}} for their survival past the first harsh year of the settlement. They invited the local Wampanoag tribe to dine with them. This was not an annual holiday, however, but a one-time event. Days of Thanksgiving were an old English custom, called by local authorities or church to celebrate some significant event, and could be declared more or less whenever. However, it is true that the completion of the autumn harvest would typically be marked with a Thanksgiving Day across most of New England and in other states settled by Yankees.

Traditionally, Thanksgiving involves getting together with one's extended family or friends and having an enormous dinner, typically consisting of roast turkey (hence the nickname "Turkey Day"), stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce and various other side dishes, followed by dessert, usually pumpkin pie and other pies. Because the US is [[UsefulNotes/MeltingPot a nation of immigrants]], Americans from more recent immigrant backgrounds are likely to include some of their traditional dishes with the meal, particularly festive ones, so expect (e.g.) a lasagna at an Italian-American Thanksgiving, tamales at a Mexican-American one, pierogis at a Polish-American one, brisket at a Jewish-American one, and so on (roast lamb in particular will appear in several traditions, including Greek-Americans, Arab-Americans, and Armenian-Americans). The time not spent eating might be spent watching parades (some of which, such as [[UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade the Macy's parade]] in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, are famous for their giant helium character balloons) or TV specials together.

The choice of meat at the original feast is thought by historians to have been venison, but Ms. Hale put turkey on the map by publishing a Thanksgiving edition of her magazine, including turkey-centric feasts. The poultry industry capitalized on this through heavy advertising and PR events in the first half of the 20th century, cementing turkey as the Thanksgiving meal of choice, with an assist from the US military, which served turkey to the troops on Thanksgiving as the standard holiday meal thanks to turkey being relatively cheap. The tradition continues in the armed forces to this day, even resulting in the creation of a platoon-sized forward deployable Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the trimmings, so troops on the front lines can have a taste of home. The President these days receives two live turkeys for Thanksgiving, who receive Presidential pardons and a cushy life at a DC local petting zoo.[[note]] A [[NewerThanTheyThink surprisingly recent tradition]]: Presidents have been given turkeys since 1873, but they got eaten. Kennedy spontaneously decided to give back the last turkey he received, Nixon spared some, and Carter and Reagan both sent theirs to petting zoos, but it wasn't until George HW Bush in 1989 that the first official "pardon" was issued and the event was made into an annual occurrence.[[/note]]

UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball is also a major part of Thanksgiving, with the UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague playing "Thanksgiving Classic" games -- until recently, the only NFL games to be played on a weekday (if you're not counting ''Series/MondayNightFootball''). Since 1970, the league has always featured two nationally-televised afternoon games, one played in Detroit at 12:30 pm ET and another in Dallas at 4:15 pm ET; in 2006, a third, rotating-site game was added in prime time. College and high school teams often play games on Thanksgiving weekend as well, and impromptu family or neighborhood "Turkey Bowl" contests are a tradition in many places.

UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball is also a major part of Thanksgiving, with the UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague playing "Thanksgiving Classic" games -- until recently, the only NFL games to be played on a weekday (if you're not counting ''Series/MondayNightFootball''). Since 1970, the league has always featured two nationally-televised afternoon games, one played in Detroit at 12:30pm ET and another in Dallas at 4:15pm ET; in 2006, a third, rotating-site game was added in prime time. College and high school teams often play games on Thanksgiving weekend as well, and impromptu family or neighborhood "Turkey Bowl" contests are a tradition in many places.

UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball is also a major part of Thanksgiving, with the UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague playing "Thanksgiving Classic" games -- until recently, the only NFL games to be played on a weekday (if you're not counting ''Series/MondayNightFootball''). Since 1970, the league has always featured one nationally-televised game played in Detroit at 12:30 pm ET, and another in Dallas at 4:15 pm ET; in 2006, a third, rotating-site game was added in prime time. College and high school teams often play games on Thanksgiving weekend as well, and impromptu family or neighborhood "Turkey Bowl" contests are a tradition in many places.

UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball is also a major part of Thanksgiving, with the UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague playing "Thanksgiving Classic" games -- until recently, the only NFL games to be played on a weekday (if you're not counting ''Series/MondayNightFootball''). Since 1970, the league has featured two afternoon games, one in Detroit at half-past noon, and the other in Dallas at 4:15 (all times Eastern); in 2006, a third, rotating game was added in prime time. College and high school teams often play games on Thanksgiving weekend as well, and impromptu family or neighborhood "Turkey Bowl" contests are a tradition in many places.

UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball is also a major part of Thanksgiving, with the UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague playing "Thanksgiving Classic" games -- until recently, the only NFL games to be played on a weekday (if you're not counting ''Series/MondayNightFootball''). Since 1970, the Classic includes multiple games, one at Detroit at half-past noon, and the other at Dallas at 4:15 (all times Eastern); in 2006, a third, rotating game was added in prime time. College and high school teams often play games on Thanksgiving weekend as well, and impromptu family or neighborhood "Turkey Bowl" contests are a tradition in many places.

The day after Thanksgiving, commonly known as Black Friday, marks the official start of the holiday shopping season. The term originated in UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} in the early 1960s, where it was used by local police in reference to the unusually heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving, and began to see broader national use around 1975. Later an alternative explanation began to be offered: that "Black Friday" indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or are "in the black".