When Is Thanksgiving? All About Turkey Day 2022

The greatest months of the entire year are upon us, folks. The “bers” are the greatest because not only does the weather get cooler and it no longer feels like you’re living in Satan’s armpit if you venture outside (if you live in the South), but it’s time for the holidays as well. It starts with trick-or-treating fun in October, family gatherings, delicious food, and a time for giving thanks in November, and of course, spending even more time with family, sharing delicious food, and trading gifts in December. We all know Christmas is always on the 25th, and Halloween is always on the 31st, but what date is Thanksgiving 2022? It changes every year, so we need to know when to start preordering those turkeys, and creating those invites for family to come over to share food and company.

What date is Thanksgiving 2022?

In the United States, Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday in November, AKA the last Thursday of the month (in Canada, it’s the second Monday of October). So, this year, if you’re in the U.S., Thanksgiving Day 2022 is on November 24. But why is it always on the last Thursday of November? Who decided this date? If you’re celebrating in the United States, we’ve all heard the story of the pilgrims and the Mayflower — and how it sort of glosses over the gory details — but how true is this story and is that really why we celebrate?

Why is Thanksgiving celebrated in the U.S.?

Harvest festivals had been celebrated for centuries by Native Americans, according to the Farmer’s Almanac, but the (white-washed) story has been told that when the Pilgrim settlers arrived, they shared a feast with the Wampanoag Native Americans in 1621, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, and it lasted three days. It was celebrating thanks for their survival and their faith, and the Pilgrims hosted it for their “new Native American friends.”

Even though we tend to focus on the pilgrims and the Mayflower on Thanksgiving, the first national celebration of Thanksgiving was observed to honor the creation of the new United States Constitution, per the Almanac. Mind. Blown.

How is the Thanksgiving date decided?

“In 1789, President George Washington issued a proclamation designating November 26 of that year as a ‘Day of Publick Thanksgivin’ to recognize the role of providence in creating the new United States and the new federal Constitution,” explains the Farmers Almanac.

However, it took until 1941 for Thanksgiving Day to become a United States federal holiday to be celebrated on the last Thursday of November. Since then, the federal holiday of Thanksgiving has always been celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. This means the earliest it can happen is November 22, and the latest it can happen is November 28.

So mark your calendars for November 24, 2022, and be sure to stock up on your ingredients, and gather your loved ones. Whatever your feelings about the origins of the holiday, it is never a bad idea to share a meal with people you love.