Thanksgiving Day (US)

Information about Thanksgiving Day plus lots of Thanksgiving Holiday Recipes

24th November 2011

Jump to:-     What's Eaten at Thanksgiving  |  Recipes  |  Future Thanksgiving Day Dates

 Olga Lyubkina - Fotolia.com

See also:    History of Thanksgiving in the US  |  Special Days & Holidays

Thanksgiving Day, sometimes colloquially called "Turkey Day" is a national holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the USA and is one of the biggest national celebration days of the year, when most people have the day off work and traditionally spend, at least part of the day, with family and friends, eating, drinking, watching NFL American Football on TV or going to local thanksgiving parades, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York probably being the best known outside of the US.  Many companies also give their workers the Friday off as paid holiday,  making for a long Thanksgiving weekend.

Although originally the "thanks" was given to God, today Thanksgiving Day is a nation-wide secular (non-religious) holiday which heralds the start of the winter holiday season, including the Christmas shopping season which traditionally begins the day after Thanksgiving.

What’s eaten for Thanksgiving Dinner

Certain food are traditionally served at Thanksgiving Dinners. A roast turkey is usually the centre-piece (thus the nickname "Turkey Day") and perhaps a ham. Traditionally, most of the accompaniments are made from produce native to the New World. These often include mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn on the cob, cornbread, particularly in the Southern States, seasonal vegetables such as swede (rutabagas) or turnips plus stuffing and gravy. Pumpkin pie is a firm favourite for dessert at Thanksgiving dinner though pecan pie or cheesecake is also served.

Here’s a sample of what might be served for a Thanksgiving Day Dinner. Click the links for recipes.

Roast Turkey
Baked Ham
Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Giblet Gravy
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes
Cornbread
Seasonal Vegetables e.g. Corn on the Cob, Green Beans, Carrots, Broccoli
Pumpkin Pie for dessert

Future Thanksgiving dates 2008-2014

Thursday, 27th November   2008
Thursday, 25th November   2009
Thursday, 25th November   2010
Thursday, 24th November   2011
Thursday, 22nd November  2012
Thursday, 28th November   2013
Thursday, 27th November   2014