Thanksgiving is always celebrated on a Thursday. Do you have any idea why? Thursday is the day for enjoying ourselves, being grateful and giving thanks. It is the day chosen in the U.S.A. to gather together and be appreciative for our prosperity. This Fall festival became an official American holiday though a series of presidential proclamations.

We trace the first The First Thanksgiving back to the 1621 dinner shared by the newly arrived Pilgrims and the resident Wampanoag Indians. A feast actually took place, but subsequent celebrations were not carried on in a particularly orderly fashion. Thanksgiving did not become a official holiday until President George Washington in 1789 proclaimed a day of public thanks and prayer.

“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations
to acknowledge the providence
of Almighty God, to obey his will,
to be grateful for his benefits,
and humbly to implore his protection
and favor — and whereas both
Houses of Congress have by their
joint Committee requested me
“to recommend to the People
of the United States a day of
public thanksgiving and prayer
to be observed by acknowledging
with grateful hearts the many
signal favors of Almighty God
especially by affording them an
opportunity peaceably to establish
a form of government for
their safety and happiness.”

As to how Thanksgiving became “turkey day is another story. Turkeys were wild and commonly hunted in fields and forests by American settlers. It is said that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to become the official bird of the nation instead of the bald eagle. It is not clear if this idea was a serious political consideration or a food joke, but we all know which bird appears on the U.S. Seal. It isn’t the turkey.

“I am on this account not displeased
that the Figure is not known as a Bald
Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey.
For the Truth the turkey is in
comparison a much more
respectable Bird, and withal a
true original Native of America…
He is besides, though a little vain
& silly, a Bird of Courage, and would
not hesitate to attack a Grenadier
of the British Guards who should
presume to invade his Farm Yard
with a red Coat on.”

It wasn’t until 1863 that Thanksgiving was given a fixed date. President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the final Thursday of November as the day that we gather together and offer gratitude for all that we have. At the time it was a common belief that Thursday is the day of abundance. Then in 1941 President Harry Truman set things straight specifying that every Thanksgiving be the fourth Thursday of November instead of the last Thursday.  And that’s the way it is today!

Jupiter Rulership

Jupiter rules our occasions of  great ceremony and merriment. Feelings of enjoyment and gratitude are experienced on Thursday.

Day of the Week Dining

Our favorite foods
Sunday through Saturday