Why Thanksgiving Day is not on the same calendar date each year
It’s nearly time for Texans to gather around the table for turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and football.
Thanksgiving Day is always on the fourth Thursday in November, with this year’s festivities set for Nov. 28. For those not looking to host turkey day at home, several Fort Worth restaurants are offering Thanksgiving meals.
Unlike Christmas or Independence Day, Thanksgiving is never on the same day every year. Let’s take a look at why that is and how the holiday came to be.
When was the first Thanksgiving?
The first Thanksgiving was in November 1621, a year after the pilgrims arrived in Plymouth.
According to the History Channel, Gov. William Bradford organized a celebratory feast after the pilgrims’ first successful corn harvest. The pilgrims’ Native American allies were invited, and thus, the first Thanksgiving was born.
Why is Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November?
A century later during the American Revolution, the Continental Congress appointed one or more days of Thanksgiving a year.
According to the History Channel, in 1789, George Washington proclaimed the first Thanksgiving by the national government of the United States. In 1817, New York became the first of several states to adopt the annual Thanksgiving holiday.
A few decades later, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation scheduling Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November. This would be the law of the land for over 70 years.
In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving up a week to help spur retail sales during the Great Depression. This plan was dubbed “Franksgiving” and was met with fevered opposition, according to the History Channel.
Only a couple of years later, in 1941, Roosevelt signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November.
Why is Thanksgiving never on the same day?
While Thanksgiving Day is always on the fourth Thursday in November, it’s never the same calendar date.
For example, Thanksgiving Day was on Nov. 23 last year compared to Nov. 28 this year. So why the five-day difference just one year later?
This year is different since the first day of November fell on a Friday, with the first Thursday of the month coming on Nov. 7. If the first day of November had come just one day earlier, Thanksgiving Day would have been on Nov. 22, this year.
Since 2024 is a leap year, one day was added to February. This helped shift the calendar around and is why the first day of November in 2023 came on a Wednesday, compared to a Friday in 2024.
This story was originally published November 12, 2024 at 3:37 PM.
