Fifteen

So apart from a few days of extra holiday, what exactly is Thanksgiving and why do Americans celebrate it? In 1962, the Plymouth Colony who arrived on the Mayflower had a particularly successful harvest which they celebrated with a traditional English feast and to which they invited the local Wampanoag Indians. The Governor at the time, William Bradford, proclaimed it: “A day of Thanksgiving.” George Washington went on to be the first president to declare Thanksgiving a holiday in 1789 but not in all states. Abraham Lincoln in 1863 by way of his Thanksgiving Proclamation and in an effort to unite the nation, declared the last Thursday in November a national day of thanksgiving. However, in 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt believed that the holiday fell too close to Christmas and made a motion for it to be celebrated on the third Thursday in November but not every State complied. Finally in 1941, a joint resolution of Congress chose the fourth Thursday in November to be the official Thanksgiving day which by the way, is not always the last Thursday in the month.

Today Thanksgiving has become a huge feast of turkey and all the trimmings, including pumpkin pie, and an important time for family and friends to come together and enjoy each other’s company. So there you have it. Whatever you decide to do this Thanksgiving, we wish you a safe and relaxing holiday and we hope to see you at the Student Affairs Thanksgiving dinner on November 19 (first years) and 24 (second years).