Thanksgiving in the United States is a time enjoyed with family and friends, sharing a  traditional meal and express gratitude for the good things in life. It is also a time of service to others in the community.

Thanksgiving was observed on various dates in the states until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in the month of November as the national Thanksgiving holiday.

Often celebrated on the fourth Thursday in the month of November, Thanksgiving traces its origins to harvest festivals. It became a tradition of gratitude for a bountiful harvest in the cultures of both the Pilgrims who sailed from England in 1620 and the Native Americans they encountered along the way.

A three-day harvest celebration was held in 1621 in Plymouth Colony (part of today’s Massachusetts) is generally considered to be the first American Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims had arrived the year before on the ship The Mayflower. They hadn’t brought enough food, and it was too late to plant crops. Half the colony died during the winter of 1620–1621. In the spring, local Wampanoag Indians taught the colonists how to grow corn (maize) and other crops, and helped them master hunting and fishing. They also showed the colonists how to cook cranberries, corn and squash.

The colonists had bountiful crops in the fall of 1621. They invited their Wampanoag benefactors to feast on wild turkeys, duck, geese, fish and shellfish, corn, green vegetables and dried fruits. Wampanoag Chief Massasoit and his tribe brought venison.

Harvest festivals became a regular affair in New England. In 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a law fixing Thanksgiving on the fourth (not always the last) Thursday in November.

Many Thanksgiving traditions come from that 1621 harvest celebration. Decorations os sheaves of wheat and corn are used for mark the celebration. Delicacies like roast turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie are commonly served at Thanksgiving dinner. But as the U.S. population becomes more diverse, so does the Thanksgiving meal. Nowadays, sitting next to the turkey might be a dish of tamales, tabbouleh, couscous or sauerkraut.

Thanksgiving is also the busiest travel period of the year because families make a special effort to be together. Some favorite pastimes include watching live coverage of the annual Macy’s Department Store parade in New York and of American football games played around the country. The day after Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, an important time for U.S. retailers.

One whimsical Thanksgiving tradition is the annual “pardoning” of a turkey by the U.S. president, who spares the bird from the dinner table. The bird goes on to live out its life at a petting zoo.