TL;DR: Why is Thanksgiving on a Thursday? The habit goes back to 17th-century New England, where Thursday was the Puritans’ weekly “lecture day” and a market day, and Sunday was off limits as the Sabbath. George Washington then named Thursday, November 26, 1789, for the first national Thanksgiving under the Constitution, and Abraham Lincoln made the last Thursday in November an annual holiday in 1863. After Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the date in 1939, Congress fixed it in law as the fourth Thursday in November in 1941. In 2026, Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26.
Most American holidays land on a fixed date or a Monday, so a midweek Thursday feast is an odd one out. If you’ve ever asked why is Thanksgiving on a Thursday, the answer is a mix of colonial church schedules, presidential proclamations and one very unpopular attempt to help holiday shoppers. Here’s the full story, explained simply.
The short answer: Puritan “lecture day”
In the 1600s, colonial Thanksgivings weren’t annual parties. They were special religious days called whenever leaders felt a specific blessing deserved thanks, such as rain after a drought. For example, Plymouth’s leaders called a day of thanksgiving in 1623 at the end of a severe drought, according to TIME.
Those days tended to fall on Thursdays. The Massachusetts Commonwealth Museum gives the main reasons:
- Sunday was the Sabbath and couldn’t be used for a day of thanksgiving.
- Early weekdays were impractical. A Thanksgiving also meant hours of prayer, psalms and sermons, which was a lot right after a long Sunday at the meetinghouse.
- Thursday was already special. It was market day in Plymouth and the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and it was “lecture day,” when ministers preached their weekly “great and Thursday lecture.”
Because people were already used to gathering on Thursday, it became the natural choice, and the tradition stuck long after the Puritan lectures faded.
How Thanksgiving’s date changed over time
| Year | What happened | Day chosen |
|---|---|---|
| 1600s | New England colonies call occasional days of thanksgiving for specific blessings | Usually a Thursday |
| 1789 | George Washington proclaims the first national Thanksgiving under the Constitution | Thursday, November 26 |
| 1789-1862 | Later presidents and state governors issue their own proclamations; dates and even months vary | Varied |
| 1863 | Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation starts a regular annual national holiday | Last Thursday in November |
| 1939 | Franklin D. Roosevelt moves it a week earlier to lengthen the Christmas shopping season | Second-to-last Thursday |
| 1941 | Congress passes and FDR signs a resolution fixing the date by law | Fourth Thursday in November |
George Washington picks a Thursday (1789)
According to the National Archives, the first Federal Congress passed a resolution on September 28, 1789, asking the president to recommend a national day of thanksgiving. Days later, Washington issued a proclamation naming Thursday, November 26, 1789, as “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer.” It was the first Thanksgiving celebrated under the new Constitution.
It wasn’t yet a yearly holiday, though. Later presidents issued Thanksgiving proclamations, but the dates and even the months varied, the National Archives notes.
Sarah Josepha Hale and Lincoln’s last Thursday (1863)
The push for a fixed national date came largely from Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of the popular magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book. For years she campaigned for the last Thursday of November. In an 1851 editorial quoted by TIME, she argued that by then “harvests of all kinds are gathered in” and summer travelers have returned home.
She wrote to President Lincoln on September 28, 1863. On October 3, in the middle of the Civil War, Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving for the last Thursday in November. From then on, presidents regularly called Thanksgiving on that Thursday.
“Franksgiving”: when FDR moved Thanksgiving (1939)
In 1939, the last Thursday of November fell on November 30, the last day of the month. With the country still recovering from the Great Depression, Roosevelt worried that a short Christmas shopping season would hurt the economy, so he moved Thanksgiving a week earlier, to November 23.
It caused chaos. The National Archives says states split over which date to follow, and for two years the country effectively had two Thanksgivings, one week apart. Accounts of the exact state-by-state tally differ. TIME reported at the time that football coaches were furious, since many had games scheduled for November 30. Critics nicknamed the earlier holiday “Franksgiving,” and TIME notes that Roosevelt later admitted the change was a mistake, as merchants didn’t see the boost they’d hoped for.
Congress makes it the fourth Thursday (1941)
To end the confusion, the House passed a joint resolution on October 6, 1941, making the last Thursday in November the legal Thanksgiving Day. The Senate changed it to the fourth Thursday, to account for years when November has five Thursdays. The House agreed, and Roosevelt signed the resolution on December 26, 1941. That’s still the rule today, as the National Archives explains.
The “fourth Thursday” wording matters. In a year with five Thursdays in November, such as 2028, Thanksgiving lands a week before the month’s final Thursday, which is exactly the outcome FDR wanted in 1939.
When is Thanksgiving in the next five years?
- 2026: Thursday, November 26 (the same calendar date as Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving)
- 2027: Thursday, November 25
- 2028: Thursday, November 23
- 2029: Thursday, November 22
- 2030: Thursday, November 28
Why the Thursday date works so well today
Whatever its religious roots, a Thursday holiday has a practical perk: many workers and schools take Friday off too, creating a four-day weekend. That’s also why the day after Thanksgiving became Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Canada, by contrast, celebrates its Thanksgiving on a Monday in October.
Quick facts
- Thanksgiving became a fixed federal holiday by law only in 1941.
- Washington’s 1789 proclamation and Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation were both issued on October 3.
- The switch from “last” to “fourth” Thursday came from a Senate amendment.
Bottom line
Thanksgiving is on a Thursday because the Puritans’ Thursday lecture and market day made it the go-to day for giving thanks, Washington and Lincoln kept the habit, and Congress locked in the fourth Thursday of November in 1941. For more seasonal explainers, read why we have daylight saving time and why leaves change color in the fall.
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