In the United States, Thanksgiving Day is observed each year on a Thursday.
Federal law fixes the holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. This places it between November 22 and November 28, depending on the calendar. The date was established nationally by a 1941 law signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
American Thanksgiving developed from earlier harvest and thanksgiving observances, including a famous 1621 feast involving Plymouth colonists and members of the Wampanoag Confederation. The modern federal holiday is a broader national observance rather than a direct recreation of that meal.
A common mix-up is confusing the U.S. date with Canada’s Thanksgiving, which occurs on the second Monday of October. Thanksgiving is also distinct from the November shopping events that follow it, including Black Friday.