As we enjoy the middle of autumn with fall foliage, pumpkin spice lattes, and crisp weather, most of us might be looking forward to an event that only comes once a year — Thanksgiving.
While you plan what dish to bring to the table, here's more about Thanksgiving and its date in 2026.
When is Thanksgiving 2026?
Thanksgiving occurs on the fourth Thursday of November every year, according to Old Farmer's Almanac.
In 2026, Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 26.
Why is Thanksgiving celebrated?
Thanksgiving is celebrated for many reasons, the first being to show thanks to those we love and care about over a special spread of delicious food.
Before Thanksgiving was formally established as a federal holiday, Native Americans in North America celebrated harvest festivals for centuries, marking the harvest of crops
after a season of bountiful growth.
Settlers in Massachusetts and Virginia held feasts in the 1600s to express gratitude for survival, fertile fields, and their faith. Additionally, Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts, celebrated Thanksgiving in 1621 with the Wampanoag Native Americans.
Harvest-time feasts date back to many historical peoples, including the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.
When did Thanksgiving become a federal holiday?
The first national Thanksgiving in America was actually celebrated in honor of the creation of the United States Constitution in 1789, known as "Day of Publick Thanksgivin."
During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving Day for Thursday, November 26, 1863.
Soon, it was celebrated on the third Thursday of November after President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed Thanksgiving from the last Thursday in November to the second-to-last Thursday during the Great Depression. Roosevelt wanted to boost the economy by creating more time to shop before Christmas, which brought us Black Friday.
But not everyone was happy the day got moved. Some continued to celebrate it on the fourth Thursday of November.
When did Thanksgiving start being celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November again?
Eventually, because people kept celebrating Thanksgiving on the last Thursday in November, the president and Congress established Thanksgiving as a federal holiday to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.
A woman helped establish Thanksgiving, not the presidents
A teacher and writer named Sarah Josepha Hale wrote hundreds of letters to governors, ministers, newspaper editors, and U.S. presidents to establish Thanksgiving as a holiday.
Eventually, during the Civil War, Hale's campaign gained attention. Soon enough, President Abraham Lincoln liked her idea and declared the last Thursday of November to be National Thanksgiving Day in 1863.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What day is Thanksgiving 2026? Put this date on your calendar
