Thanksgiving originated as a harvest celebration shared by English colonists (Pilgrims) and the Wampanoag Native Americans in 1621, marking the successful harvest in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. The feast lasted several days and included native foods like venison, corn, and fowl, representing a mix of English harvest traditions and Indigenous practices of thanks.
Early Celebrations and Influences
- Colonists in New England regularly observed "thanksgivings," which were days of prayer and gratitude for blessings such as abundant harvests or safe journeys.
- Similar thanksgiving observances appear as early as 1565 with Spanish settlers in Florida, as well as French and English settlers in the early 1600s in Virginia and Maine.
- Native Americans such as the Wampanoag had long-standing traditions of harvest celebrations and giving thanks before the arrival of Europeans.
The First Thanksgiving Feast
- The "first Thanksgiving" refers specifically to the 1621 celebration in Plymouth, where the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag shared a meal after a successful harvest.
- The event included three days of feasting, games, and community activities.
- Accounts from Pilgrims record foods like fowl and venison, but also reveal that native foods and traditions shaped the feast.
Evolution Into a National Holiday
- Thanksgiving was mainly a regional New England tradition for centuries, rooted in both English and Native practices for giving thanks.
- President Abraham Lincoln officially declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, aiming to unify the nation during the Civil War.
- The holiday’s modern celebration—with turkey and other familiar foods—developed through 19th-century New England traditions and cookbooks.
Thanksgiving's origin is a blend of Indigenous and colonial traditions, harvest celebrations, and evolving American culture, culminating in its establishment as a unified national holiday in the 19th century.
