Thanksgiving is a time when Americans the world over get together with their families and it is approaching rapidly. It is the perfect opportunity to catch up with loved ones, eat inordinate amounts of food, and indulge in some festive fun.
It has been celebrated for hundreds of years and there is a huge amount of history behind the holiday.
Here is all you need to know about the American holiday and how to celebrate it – even if you’re not American.
The Thanksgiving parade in New York City in 2020
Unsplash
In 2024, Thanksgiving is on Thursday, November 28. It always falls on the fourth Thursday in November.
Thanksgiving is what traditionally starts the holiday season in the US. It wasn’t an official holiday until President Franklin D Roosevelt made it so in 1939 and it was approved by Congress in 1941.
In America, it’s often enjoyed as much as Christmas is, with a focus on family and food – especially turkey.
Why do people celebrate Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving can be traced back to 1621, when English settlers, known as Pilgrims, invited the local Native American Wampanoag people to a harvest feast after they had a successful crop season.
The first Thanksgiving probably did not include turkey, but rather was a three-day feast of goose, lobster, cod and deer.
Why do Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving?
Americans eat more than 50 million turkeys at Thanksgiving and, while there are multiple claims as to why turkeys are firm favourites, the most likely would be because turkeys are native to North America and would have been an easy choice for the early settlers.
However, one lucky turkey is given the presidential pardon each year by the US president.
What else do people generally eat on Thanksgiving?
Stuffing and pies are Thanksgiving favourites, particularly pumpkin, pecan, apple and sweet potato pies for pudding.
Why is American football relevant to Thanksgiving?
In 1934, the University of Detroit hosted the first Thanksgiving Day football game between Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears.
The game became the first-ever network broadcast event in the US and was so popular that a Thanksgiving Day football game continues today – and Detroit have played every year since.
Do Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving?
While Canada also celebrates Thanksgiving, there are some distinct differences.
Firstly, in Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October.
The Canadian Thanksgiving is more associated with European traditions, as festivals of thanks took place throughout the continent in October.
Where can I celebrate Thanksgiving in London?
If you want to join in but can’t jet off to the States, there are a range of places you can get a good wholesome Thanksgiving dinner. Here are a few of the options.
Sunday in Brooklyn, which has two sites, one in Notting Hill and one in Marylebone, offers a £55 menu offering dishes such as barbecue celeriac fondant, turkey, and cheddar and jalapeño cornbread. You can book a table using the links above.
The George pub in Fitzrovia is offering group bookings for its traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings, which also features baked sweet potato and marshmallows, green bean casserole and spinach gratin.
Meanwhile, Riding House Café, which has restaurants in Victoria, Fitzrovia and Bloomsbury, is offering a real feast of free-range turkey, maple-buttered potatoes, truffled mac and cheese, topped off with pumpkin pie. Vegan dishes are available. Book a table using the links above.
And the Hard Rock Café at Piccadilly Circus offers a more down-to-earth feast, with all the traditional favourites, which is available from November 28 to December 1 and is accompanied by live music.
