Thanksgiving

On the last Thursday in November, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day. The holiday centers on a family dinner featuring turkey with stuffing or dressing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Many Americans associate Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims, and many believe that the day celebrates the beginnings of the United States.

Thanksgiving was observed in many communities during the seventeenth century. Thanksgiving proclamations have survived, most of which were issued by ministers and governors in various colonies, particularly in New England. These observances were usually selected in response to specific events, such as a military victory, a good harvest, or a providential rainfall, but no specific thanksgiving day was observed on an annual basis. A Puritan thanksgiving was a solemn religious day celebrated with attendance at church and prayer to God.