<P> Thanksgiving , or Thanksgiving Day , is a national holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November . It originated as a harvest festival . Thanksgiving has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789 , after Congress requested a proclamation by George Washington . It has been celebrated as a federal holiday every year since 1863 , when , during the American Civil War , President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of `` Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who in the Heavens , '' to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November . Together with Christmas and the New Year , Thanksgiving is a part of the broader fall / winter holiday season in the U.S. </P>
<P> Thanksgiving , or Thanksgiving Day , is a national holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November . It originated as a harvest festival . Thanksgiving has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789 , after Congress requested a proclamation by George Washington . It has been celebrated as a federal holiday every year since 1863 , when , during the American Civil War , President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of `` Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who in the Heavens , '' to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November . Together with Christmas and the New Year , Thanksgiving is a part of the broader fall / winter holiday season in the U.S. </P>
when did thanksgiving start as a national holiday
when did thanksgiving start as a national holiday
1789
1789