History of Thanksgiving

The traditional Thanksgiving is a combination of religious and harvest celebrations. The Pilgrim Feast of 1621 is generally what we think of when we think of the very first Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims had just had a really good harvest after a very difficult winter. To celebrate, the Pilgrims called for a huge feast!

In addition to the Pilgrims, 91 Native Americans attended. They probably had to eat outside at a big table. The celebration lasted 3 days, and included games, races, and other activities. Plus, of course, lots of food!

Though nobody's sure if they actually ate turkey, they did have venison and some type of fowl. And even though they couldn't eat pumpkin pie (because of a flour shortage), they did have boiled pumpkin! They also had berries, seafood, and fruits.

But that feast wasn't repeated every year. And it wasn't until 1777 that all 13 colonies had a thanksgiving celebration together. Most people credit Sarah Josepha Hale with making Thanksgiving an annual, and national event. She was a magazine editor who wrote lots of letters and articles about why we should make it a regular, national holiday. In 1863, President Lincoln agreed and proclaimed the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. But it wasn't until 1941 that Congress made it a totally legal holiday.