It is that time of year again. That time of year, when we join with our friends and family and give thanks for the many blessings in our lives.
Thanksgiving has its roots as a religious feast day; a time that was used to give thanks for good harvests and as a counterpoint to the holy days of fasting.
In the US, the Thanksgiving tradition can be traced back 400 years to the English settlers in New England. The charter from the London Company called for a religious celebration which specifically required “that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned … in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God.” The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest, which the Pilgrims celebrated with Native Americans, who helped them get through the previous winter by giving them food in that time of scarcity.
The date of Thanksgiving in the US varied by state until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln set the national date of Thanksgiving to the final Thursday in November. On October 31, 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a presidential proclamation changing the holiday to the next to last Thursday in November for business reasons. Then on December 26, 1941, he signed a joint resolution of Congress changing the national Thanksgiving Day to the fourth Thursday in November, where it is today.
Thanksgiving is also celebrated though on different days in Australia, Canada, Brazil, Grenada, Netherlands, Liberia, Philippines and Saint Lucia. Similar holidays to Thanksgiving are also celebrated around the world.
Thanksgiving represents a day of joy and peace for many of us. Therefore, TrinWare will close the office this Thursday, November 26th in observation of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.