Background
As a human being you may know that thanksgiving is celebrated in the month of November, but did you know that the celebration date of this holiday always changes? That’s correct, thanksgiving is always celebrated on the last Thursday of November and it is celebrated to celebrate the blessings and harvests of the last year. Thanksgiving is also a family celebration meaning families all over the country get together for a meal together and give thanks for what they have. The meal is eaten at this time of the year which traditionally includes mashed potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce, gravy, pie, and of course a turkey. However, have you ever thought of or questioned why Thanksgiving is celebrated?
Why Do We Celebrate Thanksgiving?
In school, we learned that Thanksgiving is celebrated because it was first a meal that the Pilgrims and the Native Americans shared. This was the first thanksgiving of history which took place in 1621, another thanksgiving was followed up two years later in 1623. Although the original meal was in 1621 the first official Thanksgiving was held years later in 1789 and was declared as “Day of Public Thanksgiving”. However, the history of this national holiday gets even more twisted, although this was the first official thanksgiving this holiday still varied in dates such as one year it would be celebrated and another year it wouldn’t. Basically, citizens still had to confirm the date of the holiday. Surprisingly this would not be confirmed until years later after the civil war. On the 28th of September in 1863 a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale wrote a letter to President Abraham Lincoln saying that thanksgiving should be celebrated on the 4th Thursday of the month of November. Finally, on October 3rd the president declared that thanksgiving was to be celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November. This woman known as Sarah Josepha Hale was soon to be known as the Mother of Thanksgiving