Feature Article
Thanksgiving Dinner Why is there a Thanksgiving Day? For 2006, This is Thursday November 23rd.
Proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln, 3 October 1863."
Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been observed annually in the United States.
In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that Thanksgiving would
be the next to last Thursday of November rather than the last. With the country
still in the midst of The Great Depression, Roosevelt thought this would give
merchants a longer period to sell goods before Christmas. Increasing profits
and spending during this period, Roosevelt hoped, would aid bringing the country
out of the Depression. At the time, it was considered inappropriate to advertise
goods for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. However, Roosevelt's declaration
was not mandatory; twenty-three states went along with this recommendation,
and 22 did not. Other states, like Texas, could not decide and took both weeks
as government holidays. Roosevelt persisted in 1940 to celebrate his "Franksgiving,"
as it was termed. The U.S. Congress in 1941 split the difference and established
that the Thanksgiving would occur annually on the fourth Thursday of November,
which was sometimes the last Thursday and sometimes the next to last. On November
26 that year President Roosevelt signed this bill into U.S. law.
President Truman received a Thanksgiving turkey from members of the Poultry and Egg National Board and other representatives of the turkey industry,outside the White House.
Beginning in 1947, the National Turkey Federation has presented the President of the United States with one live turkey and two dressed turkeys. The live turkey is pardoned and lives out the rest of its days on a peaceful farm.
Since 1970, a group of Native Americans and others have held a National Day of Mourning protest on Thanksgiving at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Thanksgiving in Canada
Canadians trace the holiday to a feast held by Martin Frobisher in Newfoundland in 1578.
The first Thanksgiving Day in Canada after Confederation was observed on April 5, 1872 to celebrate the recovery of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) from a serious illness. Official records do not show that Thanksgiving was observed again until the year 1879, when parliament declared Thanksgiving to be an annual national holiday to give thanks and ask for blessings for an abundant harvest. Every year prior to 1957, parliament proclaimed the date annually, resulting in the date being different annually. In 1957, it was proclaimed by the Government of Canada that Thanksgiving for an abundant harvest was to be observed on the second Monday in October for every year thereafter. Thanksgiving in Ontario is a public holiday, which means most stores and business are closed for the day. Only designated tourist areas (e.g. downtown Toronto - Eaton Center) are allowed to conduct business with shorter business hours.
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