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Is Thanksgiving a Christian holiday? Ask people today and you’ll find there is some confusion and even debate about whether or not Thanksgiving is a religious or Christian holiday.
A common question this time of year—among Christians and non-believers around the world—is whether or not Thanksgiving is a Christian or religious holiday.
At the very least, people can observe Thanksgiving in Christian ways, regardless of any faith principles that may or may not be present at the origination of the holiday. Gratitude is a biblical principle and, though technically not a fruit of the Spirit, is a clear and faithful way to image Christ in the world. A holiday celebrating gratitude, in one sense, makes Thanksgiving a Christian holiday despite its roots.
Nonetheless, the question is a good one. Is Thanksgiving a Christian holiday? Or is Thanksgiving a religious holiday at all? In this article, we’ll explore more specifically the American Thanksgiving holiday and see if it has roots in Christianity.
In the fall of 1621, after surviving their first winter and successfully harvesting their crops, the Pilgrims of Plymouth, Massachusetts held a three-day feast to give thanks for their bountiful harvest. The Wampanoag people, who had taught them essential farming and survival techniques, joined in the celebration. This event is often considered the "First Thanksgiving," though it was not an annual tradition at the time.
While various groups of settlers and colonies held their own thanksgiving celebrations at different times and for various reasons (like successful harvests, military victories, or survival through difficult times), it wasn’t a nationally recognized holiday in the early years of the United States. Many early presidents, including George Washington, issued proclamations calling for days of thanksgiving and prayer, but these were one-off events and not annual celebrations like we know today.
The modern Thanksgiving holiday owes much to the efforts of Sarah Josepha Hale, a prominent 19th-century writer and editor (best known for writing "Mary Had a Little Lamb"). She campaigned for nearly 20 years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday, writing letters to politicians, governors, and presidents.
Finally, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln was persuaded by Hale’s appeals. In 1863, Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving, setting the date as the fourth Thursday in November. Lincoln's proclamation was an effort to foster unity during a time of great division in the country.
Click here for a deeper dive into the history of Thanksgiving.
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Based on what we know about those early feasts of Thanksgiving, they weren’t “religious” or “Christian” holidays in the formal sense of being on church or liturgical calendars. But if Pilgrims, Native Americans, and others gather together to give thanks with a feast, one must ask, “To whom are they giving thanks?”
Surely many of them were giving thanks to gods they followed, and the Christian God was surely one of the recipients of that thanks. For this reason, it’s safe to say that Thanksgiving is at least loosely a religious and Christian holiday, if not formally so.
Of course, the spirit of Thanksgiving aligns with biblical teachings and principles of what it means to be grateful for the bountiful gifts and graces of God. Here are just a few passages of Scripture that highlight the fact that God cares about gratitude:
The Bible details extensively how gratitude is meant to shape the life of the Christian, and though Thanksgiving was not initiated as an exclusively Christian holiday, it provides a tremendous opportunity for Christians to take a moment to stop amid the hustle and bustle of life and express gratitude to God for the many blessings he has given.
Thanksgiving in the United States today is largely a non-religious holiday, but it still retains some spiritual or religious significance for certain individuals and communities. Its origins are connected to giving thanks for a bountiful harvest, and early celebrations were often accompanied by religious prayers and services. However, the modern observance of Thanksgiving is mostly focused on family gatherings, feasting, and expressing gratitude in a more general sense.
Between all of the shopping deals and side dishes, the opportunities for Christians to celebrate Thanksgiving are bountiful. Let’s take a look at just a few practical ways Christians can celebrate Thanksgiving with their faith at the forefront.
Celebrating Thanksgiving in a Christian way is not difficult, even if the holiday itself feels like it's more about football and food than it is about faith. Here are a handful of ways Christians can celebrate Thanksgiving in meaningful ways:
Those are just a handful of ways you could make Thanksgiving feel more like a spiritual holiday than simply a cultural one.
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There is no doubt that Thanksgiving’s cultural impact has only grown over the years. The associated shopping sales, bountiful feasts, and football games have become staples of American culture and are an important part of who we are today as a country and as a people. Unfortunately, the spirit of gratitude that the holiday is meant to celebrate sometimes feels like it is tossed by the wayside. But it is important for Christians not to let this happen, at least in our own families.
We can take intentional steps to maintain the spirit of gratitude at the heart of Thanksgiving, and even find ways to ensure that our gratitude is not limited to a Thursday in November. Gratitude is an important part of Christian life that should always be present, not just alongside turkey and pecan pie.
Whether or not one should call Thanksgiving a “Christian holiday” is a bit unclear, given its roots, but that Christians can celebrate a day of public thanksgiving in uniquely Christian ways is crystal clear.
No matter whom the earliest observers of Thanksgiving were addressing in their pre-meal prayers, modern Christians can praise God for the boundless blessings he shows in the daily graces he provides.
Weaving Scripture, prayer, and thoughtful discussions about God’s impact can help Christian families keep God at the center of a holiday more commonly known for its food and festivities.
