While the Pilgrims may have celebrated the most famous Thanksgiving on December 13, 1621, thanksgiving services had been held in Virginia since 1607. Some scholars maintain that it is these services, often held on the grounds of the Berkeley Plantation, should be recognized as the first official Thanksgiving. Most historians believe that the Pilgrim Thanksgiving was the first Thanksgiving festival in America, however, though it would be many years before this practice would become a tradition and a national holiday.

The first officially sanctioned Thanksgiving Day was celebrated in 1789, following a proclamation issued by President George Washington. The Protestant Episcopal Church, to which President Washington belonged to, declared the first day in November the day of giving thanks. The exact day and season of the holiday was still far from finalized, however. In 1815, President James Madison declared official days of thanksgiving twice in the same year.

It was not until 1863, however, that an annual national day of Thanksgiving was established on the last Thursday of November, by President Abraham Lincoln. Many attribute this decision to the efforts of Sarah Joseph Hale, who had promoted the concept of a national Thanksgiving Day for thirty years before finally getting a response from President Lincoln. In 1941, the fourth Thursday of each November was permanently established by Congress as a national holiday.

Traditional Thanksgiving dishes, like turkey, pumpkin pie, and mashed potatoes, date back to the earliest celebrations, when these types of foods were in season. This was also the time when wild turkeys were most plentiful, although it is sometimes debated as to whether turkey was actually on the menu at the Pilgrim Thanksgiving. Historians are not entirely sure what was on the menu, but they believe that cranberries, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie were not. Lobster, seal, and swans, however, may have been a possibility. In any case, cookbooks from as early as 1614 contain recipes for pumpkin pie, stuffing, and other familiar items.

Thanksgiving in America is one of the busiest travel days of the year, as people journey to be with their families and celebrate all that they are thankful for. It is estimated that the average person consumes approximately 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving, which adds up to a lot of turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, ham, cornbread, seal, swan, or lobster consumption in one day. So many turkeys are prepared on this day in fact, that several companies, including Butterball, have their own turkey hotline for consumers to call to get tips for the perfect feast, which shows just how much the holiday has evolved from a few simple, isolated celebrations into a national pastime.

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