On Thanksgiving Day, families and friends share a meal and give thanks for the good things in their lives. It comes on the fourth Thursday in November.
Key idea
Thanksgiving remembers a harvest feast in 1621, shared by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln asked the whole country to keep a day of thanks.
Why it works
In 1621 the Pilgrims had their first harvest in their new home. The Wampanoag, who had lived on that land for a very long time, had helped them learn to grow corn. The Pilgrims and about 90 Wampanoag men feasted together for three days. Many years later, in 1863, Lincoln called for a national day of Thanksgiving, and Americans have kept it every year since.
Common mistake
Some children think the Pilgrims held Thanksgiving every year from 1621 on. The 1621 feast was a harvest celebration. Thanksgiving as a holiday for the whole country began in 1863, more than 200 years later.
For the grown-up: Since 1970, some Wampanoag and other Native people have gathered in Plymouth on Thanksgiving for a National Day of Mourning, remembering what the coming of the colonists cost their nations. You can learn more in The Harvest Feast of 1621.