When most people hear “Thanksgiving,” they’re already craving roasted turkey, buttery mashed potatoes, and tart-but-sweet cranberry sauce (can shape optional). But there’s a lot more to the American Thanksgiving holiday than the feast—although feasting is a big part of its history, too.
Learn more about the origin of Thanksgiving in America, what languages celebrants spoke, what foods they enjoyed, and what Thanksgiving traditions look like today.
Table of Contents
When is Thanksgiving in the US?
Unlike Christmas or New Year’s Day, there’s no set date for Thanksgiving in the US—Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November. Modern Thanksgiving dates include:
- Thursday, November 28, 2024
- Thursday, November 27, 2025
- Thursday, November 26, 2026
- Thursday, November 25, 2027
- Thursday, November 23, 2028
- Thursday, November 22, 2029
- Thursday, November 28, 2030
Origin of Thanksgiving in America
Historians believe that the first Thanksgiving feast took place in the autumn of 1621 in the Plymouth colony of modern-day Massachusetts. In the custom of British harvest festivals, around 50 English pilgrims celebrated a successful harvest with 50 members of the Indigenous Wampanoag (pronounced WAHM-puh-nawg) people, who had helped them survive during the last year. This feast likely lasted several days.
British colonists agreed to a peace treaty with the Wampanoag people, promising to protect them during conflicts with rival indigenous groups. This friendship would last over 50 years until tensions between Pilgrim and Wampanoag leadership led to King Phillip’s War in 1676. Thousands of Native Americans were killed, leading to centuries of broken relations between the Wampanoag and the increasing number of European settlers.
Thanksgiving in the 18th century
Although it was not an annual custom, colonists went on to celebrate feasts of thanksgiving for various reasons, including good health and bountiful harvests. Over 150 years later, the Continental Congress established a national Thanksgiving to be held on December 18, 1777, to thank God for the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga.
Thanksgiving becomes an American holiday
In 1789, George Washington declared that November 26 of that year would be a national day of Thanksgiving. Nearly 75 years later, Sarah Josepha Hale wrote about the need for a national Thanksgiving Day, prompting Abraham Lincoln to proclaim that Thanksgiving would take place on the last Thursday of November. Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a 1941 bill to make Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of each November—and that’s where Thanksgiving has remained ever since!
Why is Thanksgiving always on a Thursday?
Even though modern Thanksgiving celebrations aren’t religious holidays, their placement on the calendar was influenced by religious observances. Seventeenth-century Colonial Americans always celebrated the Sabbath on Sunday. They chose to celebrate the non-religious Thanksgiving holiday on a Thursday, several days from Sunday. Since its early days, two additional presidents (Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln) have affirmed that Thanksgiving should always fall on a Thursday.
What languages were spoken at the first Thanksgiving?
If you were present at the first Thanksgiving, you’d likely hear a combination of 17th-century English and Wampanoag, an Algonquian language also known as Massachusett.
Some Pilgrim phrases may have included:
- Good morrow. (Hello.)
- What cheer? (What news do you bring?)
- Pray pardon me. (Excuse me.)
- Huzzah! (Congratulations!)
- God bye to you. (Goodbye.)
Wampanoag guests may have responded with Wampanoag phrases like:
- Asco wequassin. (Hello.)
- Askutaaquompsin? (How are you?
- Cowaúnckamish. (My service is to you.)
- Aspaumpmaúntamwock cummuckiaûg? (How are your children?)
- Túnna Cowâum Tuckôteshana. (They are well.)
The Wampanoag language is considered extinct today. However, you can still hear the influences of the first Thanksgiving in modern-day English. Words like pohpukun (pumpkin), moos (moose), sukôk (skunk), arocoun (raccoon), and mahkus (moccasins) all come from Wampanoag words.
To help prevent other Indigenous languages from going extinct, Rosetta Stone’s Endangered Language Program has supported the protection of around nine Indigenous languages.
The meaning of ‘Thanksgiving’
It seems easy to find the meaning of the word “Thanksgiving.” After all, you only have to reverse the two parts of the word to form its definition: “giving thanks.” But the origin of “Thanksgiving” goes back further than that—and even further than the first Thanksgiving dinner.
Both “thanks” and “giving” come from come from the Germanic language and Old English words dating back to the 13th century. The word “thank” can be traced back to the Old English þanc, pronounced “thank” in modern English and referring to fond reflection or good thoughts of gratitude. “Giving” comes from the Old English giefan, meaning “to bestow or deliver to someone.”
“Thanksgiving” was first recorded as doinge of thankes by 14th-century religious philosopher John Wycliffe. The verb thanksgive appeared in writings during the 17th century, shortly after the colonists’ first Thanksgiving meal, but eventually gave way to the phrase we use today: “giving thanks.”
Thanksgiving traditions in the US
Historical Thanksgiving traditions have included parades, religious services, and of course, feasting. With modern traditions like football games, turkey dinners, and pre-holiday shopping trips, 21st-century Thanksgivings may look a little different. But where did your favorite Thanksgiving traditions begin?
Thanksgiving football game
The first Thanksgiving football game was played in 1876, only seven years after American football was created. Yale beat Princeton in Hoboken, New Jersey, beginning a sports tradition that continues long past the 19th century.
Thanksgiving dinner
Thanksgiving meals pay homage to the first Thanksgiving and the celebration of an autumn harvest. Many families invite guests to share in the feast—another way to show tribute to the English colonists and Wampanoag people coming together over 500 years ago.
Thanksgiving shopping
Thanksgiving shopping, sometimes known as “Black Friday” when it occurs on the Friday after Thanksgiving, dates back to Gimbel’s Thanksgiving Day parade in 1920. The department store combined a Thanksgiving celebration and the excitement of holiday shopping with an appearance by a costumed Santa Claus (just like in the popular holiday movie “Miracle on 34th Street”).
Origin of Thanksgiving foods in the US
If you thought today’s Thanksgiving meal was a lot of work, try preparing a feast for 100! The first Thanksgiving was a feast for the ages—and it continues to include the traditional Thanksgiving meal we enjoy every November.
Turkey dinner
For many people, Thanksgiving is just another word for “Turkey Day.” But the golden-brown turkey that graces your table may have also appeared at the first Thanksgiving, along with fowl such as geese and duck that colonists hunted in the days before the feast.
Vegetable side dishes
Since the first Thanksgiving celebrated a successful harvest, it was fitting to feature the bountiful crops in their feast. Today, we do the same, whether it’s in a delicious green bean casserole or flavorful sweet potatoes. (Marshmallows may not be historically accurate, but they’re recommended all the same.)
Cranberry sauce
Your favorite Thanksgiving side dish comes right from the American colonies. Called sassamenesh in Wampanoag, cranberries were a new delicacy for Pilgrims, who enjoyed boiling cranberries with sugar to accompany their meat. Their cranberry sauce concoction likely appeared at some of the earliest Thanksgiving celebrations.
Mashed potatoes
Although potatoes aren’t native to North America, it was only a matter of time before they made their way back to their Thanksgiving celebrations. Spanish explorers brought these South American crops back to Europe, where they grew successfully and eventually came with British and Irish immigrants back across the Atlantic Ocean.
Pumpkin pie
Pumpkin was another North American staple that Pilgrims discovered in their early years in Plymouth. Some colonists would hollow out pumpkins and fill them with spices and honey, while others boiled pumpkin meat in milk before adding them to a pie crust.
Additional foods at the first Thanksgiving
The colonists and Wampanoag people enjoyed a variety of other foods that may not make an appearance in your dining room, including venison, eel, and shellfish. If you’re looking for an authentic twist from the traditional turkey this year, consider adding these historical flavors to your menu!
Thanksgiving has traveled around the world
Over the last 500 years, Thanksgiving has become a symbol of American values. Millions of people gather around tables and give thanks for good health, great company, and an abundant feast.
And Thanksgiving continues to change even today! With variations like Friendsgiving, where friends celebrate their gratitude together, this holiday continues to be an ever-evolving holiday.
But American Thanksgiving isn’t the only Thanksgiving celebrated around the world. With holidays like Canadian Thanksgiving, Dankdag in the Netherlands, and Dia de Ação de Graças in Brazil, you have many more opportunities to celebrate a wonderful year with incredible food!
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