Overview
- Thanksgiving 2025 falls on Thursday, Nov. 27.
- Lincoln made Thanksgiving an annual late‑November observance in 1863, and Roosevelt moved the 1939 holiday to the second‑to‑last Thursday to lengthen the shopping season.
- States split over Roosevelt’s change, leading Congress to pass H. J. Res. 41 in 1941 setting the fourth Thursday as the official date, which Roosevelt signed that December.
- The holiday is often linked to a 1621 harvest gathering involving the Wampanoag and English colonists, and Native groups observe a National Day of Mourning to highlight historical harms.
- Today’s traditions include family meals, parades and Black Friday shopping, while food banks report greater need and communities mount seasonal food‑drive responses.