Q. Why is Thanksgiving always celebrated on a Thursday? -- D.M.
A. It worked out that way mainly because the first observance of Thanksgiving as a national holiday was on a Thursday.
In 1789, Congress requested that President George Washington select a day for public thanksgiving and prayer. He selected Nov. 26. For several years, Thanksgiving was celebrated unofficially on Nov. 26, rather than on a specific day of the week. That celebration was eventually discontinued.
In the 19th century, Sarah Hale, a magazine editor, started a campaign for a national day of thanksgiving. She spent nearly 40 years on her crusade to get Thanksgiving declared a national holiday. Because Nov. 26, 1789, the date Washington had proclaimed, fell on the last Thursday in November, that is the date Hale petitioned for.
Public support led President Abraham Lincoln to take up Hale's suggestion. In 1863, Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November to be Thanksgiving Day. In 1941, Congress passed a joint resolution making it official that Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November.
Reader Response
After reading Saturday's AskSAM, I attended the Southern Christmas Show in Charlotte and met a lady who does a vast array of hand-painted cake carriers. I thought I would pass her contact info along. She operates her business under the name "The Painted Lady," and her name is Melva Huffstetler. She can be contacted at: 202 N. Piedmont Ave., Kings Mountain, NC 28086; Telephone: 704-739-3680; E-mail: melvalena@yahoo.com. -- J.H.
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