From then on, Thanksgiving became a holiday for celebrating the harvest in the New World, dates varied from October to November each year over the next 150 years.

 Thanksgiving, the National holiday

The first National Thanksgiving was declared by the Continental Congress in 1777. On October 3, 1789, President George Washington declared that the people of the United States should observe "a day of public thanksgiving and prayer" on Thursday, 26 November.

Many say the credit for the establishment of an annual Thanksgiving holiday should be given to Sarah Josepha Hale. Being the editor of Ladies Magazine and Godey's Lady's Book, she lobbied to the governors, senators, and presidents for a national holiday and published stories and recipes for that day in her magazine. After 36 years of crusading, she won her battle. In 1863, buoyed by the Union victory at Gettysburg, President Lincoln proclaimed that November 26, would be a national Thanksgiving Day, to be observed every year on the fourth Thursday of November. (来源：http://www.EnglishCN.com)

In 1941, a Congressional Joint Resolution set the fourth Thursday of November as a national holiday for Thanksgiving.

There you are - the brief history of Thanksgiving- a day in America for families and friends to gather together. The festival is also celebrated by Americans living abroad. Thanks to the Native Americans and the Pilgrims who created this idea of a day of Thanksgiving all those live in the New World can be thankful for all we have and share the joy with our family members and friends.