Thanksgiving is synonymous with football games, good food and, of course, the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Here’s when Thanksgiving falls this year.
When is Thanksgiving Day 2025?
Thanksgiving takes place on Nov. 27, 2025. Last year, the holiday was celebrated on Nov. 28, and on Nov. 23 in 2023.
What is The Old Farmer’s Almanac Thanksgiving 2025 weather forecast?
The Ohio Valley is expected to start the holiday weekend off with chilly temperatures, before gradually getting warmer toward Thanksgiving. A few passing showers may show up midweek, but “nothing strong enough to spoil road trips or holiday plans,” per The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Although the Greater Cincinnati region may see scattered precipitation leading up to Thanksgiving, the Farmers’ Almanac – which predicts weather for seven U.S. regions, unlike the Old Farmer’s Almanac, which predicts for 18 regions – forecasts light snow through the Ohio Valley, then fair skies for turkey day.
Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving did not become a national holiday until 1863, though the first celebration is said to have taken place in 1621, according to the History Channel. The story, historically told from the white pilgrim’s perspective, is that colonists shared a meal with the indigenous Wampanoag people to give thanks for a successful fall harvest.
This lore, however, is not completely accurate. Most accounts of the event’s significance are often overstated, USA TODAY journalist Eryn Dion noted in her reporting.
Members of the Wampanoag were not formally invited as a gesture of good grace. Instead, the pilgrims became rowdy at their feast and began shooting into the air. Fearing violence, Wampanoag warriors came to identify the commotion − prepared for war if need be − but saw it was a celebration and eventually joined in.
The holiday was recognized nationally in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln designated the final Thursday of November as “Thanksgiving,” the History Channel reports. It was observed on that day until 1939, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt solidified it as the fourth Thursday, hoping to increase retail sales during the Great Depression.
This sentiment has continued throughout the decades as holiday shopping and spending flourishes around Thanksgiving and thereafter.
Why is Thanksgiving always on the fourth Thursday of November?
Thanksgiving has moved around multiple times, according to Britannica, from being on a set day and month, to different days in both October and November.
According to USA TODAY, President George Washington declared Thursday, Nov. 26, 1789, as a “Day of Publick Thanksgivin.” It was the first time Thanksgiving was celebrated under the country’s new Constitution.
Presidents after Washington also issued proclamations for Thanksgiving, but the months and days of official Thanksgiving celebrations varied. With President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation, Thanksgiving became regularly celebrated on the last Thursday in November, USA TODAY reports.
The last Thursday in November 1939 fell on the last day of the month. President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved that year’s Thanksgiving to the second-to-last Thursday of November to allow for a longer Christmas shopping season. But not all states followed suit: 32 issued similar proclamations and 16 kept Thanksgiving as the last Thursday in November.
By 1941, the House of Representatives passed a joint resolution, declaring Thanksgiving Day to be the last Thursday in November each year. The Senate amended the resolution, making the holiday the fourth Thursday in November, and Roosevelt signed it in December 1941, according to USA TODAY.
Why is Thanksgiving late this year?
Thanksgiving is on its latest possible date in 2025. The holiday always occurs on the fourth Thursday of November, but the dates can differ based on leap years. We had a leap year in 2024.
A Nov. 27 Thanksgiving happens roughly every five to six years, meaning that the next time we’ll see a Thanksgiving on Nov. 27 will be in 2031.
The earliest date Thanksgiving could occur would be on Nov. 22, according to NBC Chicago. The last time this happened was in 2018, but it won’t happen again until 2029.
Other holidays in 2025
USA TODAY reporter Olivia Munson and Connect reporter Alex Perry contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: When is Thanksgiving 2025? What date is it? And why is it always on a Thursday?
Reporting by Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
