Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day 2025 will be observed on Thursday, November 27, which is the fourth Thursday of the month, continuing a long-standing tradition in the United States.
The tradition of Thanksgiving has developed and changed over the centuries:

• The very first national Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed by President George Washington and celebrated on November 26, 1789. This date was the last Thursday of that November and set an early precedent for a designated day of thanks.

• Later, during the Civil War in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln officially declared Thanksgiving a recurring annual holiday to be observed on the last Thursday in November, solidifying its place on the American calendar.

• In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the date to the third Thursday in November. This decision was driven by economic concerns, as the original last Thursday of the month sometimes fell as late as the fifth Thursday, which shortened the valuable holiday shopping season before Christmas.

• The change faced opposition and caused confusion among states and the public. To address this, Congress passed a joint resolution in December 1941 that fixed Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November. This action established a clear and consistent date nationwide, a tradition that has been followed without interruption since then.

Thus, in 2025, Thanksgiving continues to be observed on the fourth Thursday of November, a date reflecting centuries of history, presidential decisions, and compromises that have shaped this important American holiday.