As many prepare to gather around the table for annual Thanksgiving feasts and celebrations, some might wonder when the tradition started and when it became a national holiday.

While the 1621 feast wasn’t called “Thanksgiving” at the time, it set the stage for a holiday that would become a cornerstone of American culture. The modern version of Thanksgiving was proclaimed a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, during the Civil War, as a time to unite and reflect.

For 2024, it will partner with 22 different Thanksgiving Day turkey trots and half marathons held in 12 states around the country. Tens of thousands of runners are expected to participate, and that’s likely just a small fraction of those planning to run before they eat on Thursday.

The fowl has long been the centerpiece of the traditional American Thanksgiving meal, but contrary to tradition, turkey may not have been part of the 1621 feast at Plymouth Colony. Descriptions of the three-day feast shared by the Pilgrims and Native Americans from the local Wampanoag tribe include wild fowl,