Thanksgiving Day Bargains - Thanksgiving: Tradition of Thankfulness

In the United States, Thanksgiving is on the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada, it is the second Monday in October. On this holiday, a Thanksgiving meal is prepared, and families gather together for various activities.

Thanksgiving Day originated on August 1620, when the Mayflower, a 180-ton ship, set sail from Southampton, England. After difficulties with the vessel, resulting in her return to port, finally the voyage began. One hundred and three passengers were to become some of the founding pilgrims of the United States of America, and the creators of one of this nation’s most popular holidays.

After weeks on the tumultuous Atlantic waters, battling strong winds, pounding waves, and a number of problems with their vessel, the pilgrims spotted Cape Cod, off the coast of Massachusetts. Another storm was brewing, so strongly, that they arrived there by accident. Their intended location was off the Virginia coast, where other pilgrims had begun colonies.

Before anchoring at Plymouth Rock and disembarking to explore the territory, the pilgrims devised the “Mayflower Compact” to serve as the basis for governing their new colony, where everyone would have the freedom to worship God as they chose.

The next few months would prove to be difficult and trying. Of the original 103 pilgrims, only 56 survived the first winter. Often, two or three people would die in a day, due to infection and sickness, but, with spring came new hope. The survivors built homes and planted crops. They made friendships with local Indian tribes, and traded with them. The passing of winter allowed the pilgrims to labor and produce, causing the colony to flourish.

After reaping their first harvest in the fall of 1621, the pilgrims dedicated a day for thanking God for the bounty with which He had blessed them. Their governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving towards God. They prepared a great feast to enjoy with family and friends—both from within the colony and with neighboring Indian tribes.

In 1817, the state of New York adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual holiday. By the mid-1800s, other states likewise adopted the practice. In 1863, President Lincoln appointed it as a national holiday, and gave a Thanksgiving proclamation, and each president since then has issued a proclamation, announcing the celebration of this day.