Thanksgiving Day in the United States
Thanksgiving Day is a federal public holiday set by law on the fourth Thursday in November.[1] Its national history includes older traditions of giving thanks, presidential proclamations and a changing calendar, while today the holiday is widely associated with a shared meal.[2][3]
A holiday with more than one beginning
Thanksgiving in the United States cannot be traced to a single first celebration. Native communities had traditions of giving thanks long before European settlement, and different European colonial communities held their own thanksgiving observances. The Library of Congress notes that the familiar 1621 Plymouth harvest feast later shaped many U.S. Thanksgiving traditions, though surviving firsthand accounts are few.[3]
George Washington proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving and prayer in 1789, but it did not become an annual observance then. In 1863, during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln called for a national day of thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November. The Library of Congress describes the holiday’s meaning and traditions as changing over time.[3]
Why it falls on the fourth Thursday
Presidential proclamations did not initially establish one permanent date. The Library of Congress recounts that President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1939 choice of the next-to-last Thursday led to confusion among states and others; Congress later set the fourth Thursday in November in law. That rule remains in 5 U.S.C. § 6103.[1][3]
Because the statutory date is always a Thursday, there is no general weekend substitute date for Thanksgiving. Federal employees whose regular work schedule makes that Thursday a nonworkday may have an “in lieu of” holiday under Office of Personnel Management rules; the applicable day depends on the employee’s schedule.[4]
Meals and public life
A shared meal is a longstanding part of U.S. Thanksgiving observance. The Library of Congress documents recipes and holiday food coverage from the 1800s and 1900s, including turkey, oysters, potatoes, cranberries and pie. It also identifies parades, football and shopping among traditions that gained prominence over time.[3]
Thanksgiving is a federal holiday for federal employee pay and leave purposes. USAGov says many government offices and some private businesses close on federal holidays. Private employers are not generally required by the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide holiday time off or pay, so private workplace and business schedules vary.[1][2][5] The Federal Reserve System also observes Thanksgiving as a holiday; check local service providers for their own schedules.[6]
Thanksgiving Day FAQs
When is Thanksgiving Day in the United States?
It falls on the fourth Thursday in November under federal law.[1]
Is Thanksgiving a day off for everyone?
It is a federal holiday for federal employee pay and leave purposes, but federal law does not generally require private employers to give workers the day off or holiday pay.[1][5]
Sources and references
Sources used for Thanksgiving Day in United States:
- 5 USC 6103: Holidays- Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives
- American holidays- USAGov, U.S. General Services Administration
- Thanksgiving- Library of Congress
- Federal Holidays - “In Lieu Of” Determination- U.S. Office of Personnel Management
- Questions and Answers About the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)- U.S. Department of Labor
- Holidays Observed - K.8- Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System