Thanksgiving

Secular holiday : Many Americans take the following day off and enjoy a four-day holiday. The first formal celebration was held by an English explorer, Martin Frobisher, who attempted to establish a settlement on Baffin Island, after failing to discover a northern passage to the Orient in 1576. The Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock held their Thanksgiving in 1621 as a three-day thank you celebration to the leaders of the Wampanoag Indian tribe and their families for teaching them the survival skills they needed to make it in the New World. The turkey tradition was introduced by Benjamin Franklin who made it a national symbol: quick runner, wary, sharp eyesight... The one-time holiday was declared by George Washington, whereas Abraham Lincoln elected the 4th Thursday in November.