In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians celebrated an autumn harvest feast that is known today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the American colonies and North America. Before 1863, Thanksgiving days were celebrated by individual American colonies and states. Then in 1863, in the midst of the turmoil of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln announced Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday to be celebrated each November. Today’s national Thanksgiving celebration consists of two traditions: the New England custom of rejoicing after a successful harvest, based on ancient English harvest festivals; and the Puritan Thanksgiving, a solemn religious observance combining prayer and feasting.
Thanksgiving is often marked as the official beginning of the Christmas holiday season in the United States. It probably the most widely celebrated American holiday. On this day, it is a tradition that Americans spend time with their families celebrating the achievements of the year. If you like to travel on Thanksgiving, it is a good idea that you book your transportation ticket a few weeks before because you may find many flights and hotels to be expensive since this day is a popular travel time in the United States. In addition, on Thanksgiving, public institutions are closed.

Fun Facts:
1. The National Turkey Federation estimated that 46 million turkeys—one fifth of the annual total of 235 million consumed in the United States—were eaten at Thanksgiving.
2. Nearly 88 percent of Americans said they eat turkey at Thanksgiving.
3. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds, which means some 690 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the U.S. during Thanksgiving in 2007.
http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving-facts>.