Thanksgiving starts in Leiden

Follow the story from 1609 to your own table, send a free thank-you card, and start one small tradition today that is a habit by New Year.

A Leiden canal in autumn with 17th-century houses and people at workImages and voice: AI generated

1 Leiden, 1609

In 1609 a group of English families moved to Leiden. At home in England they were not free to worship the way they chose. In the Dutch Republic they were. They worked as weavers and printers in the narrow streets around the Pieterskerk. For eleven years, Leiden was home. Today they are often called the Pilgrims.

A sailing ship on a grey-green autumn seaImages and voice: AI generated

2 The crossing, 1620

In July 1620 part of the group said goodbye. They travelled by canal boat to Delfshaven and sailed to England on the Speedwell. In September the Mayflower left Plymouth with about a hundred people on board. After about two months at sea, in November, they saw the coast of America.

A Wampanoag village by the coast with round homes and fieldsImages and voice: AI generated

3 Wampanoag land

The coast they reached was Patuxet, home of the Wampanoag people for more than 12,000 years. The first winter was hard: about half of the newcomers died. In spring they met Tisquantum, a man from Patuxet. Years before, English sailors had kidnapped him and taken him to Spain. He learned English in England, and when he came home his village was empty after an epidemic. He showed the newcomers how to plant corn.

An autumn gathering outdoors in 1621: Wampanoag men and English colonists around cooking firesImages and voice: AI generated

4 Autumn 1621

That spring Massasoit, the leader of the Wampanoag, and the colonists had agreed to help each other. After the first harvest the colonists held a celebration, and Massasoit came with about ninety men. They stayed three days, and the Wampanoag went hunting and brought five deer. One of the colonists, Edward Winslow, wrote it down in a letter. Nobody called it Thanksgiving yet: the national holiday came in 1863. For many Native Americans the day also carries grief, for the land and the lives lost in the years after. Since 1970 many gather in Plymouth on Thanksgiving Day for a National Day of Mourning. Both memories belong to this story.

Leiden at dusk and a warm window with friends around a long tableImages and voice: AI generated

5 Your table

John Robinson, the group's pastor, never made the crossing. He died in Leiden in 1625 and is buried in the Pieterskerk. On Thanksgiving morning the church usually holds a service where Americans and people from Leiden meet. And in many homes friends now hold a Friendsgiving: one table, a dish each, and a moment to say thank you. Thanksgiving 2026 is on Thursday 26 November. What small tradition will you start?

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Send a free thank-you card

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When is Thanksgiving 2026?

Thursday 26 November 2026, the fourth Thursday of November.

What does Leiden have to do with Thanksgiving?

Many of the Mayflower's passengers had lived in Leiden from 1609 to 1620. Their pastor, John Robinson, stayed behind and is buried in the Pieterskerk.

What is Friendsgiving?

A Thanksgiving-style meal with friends: everyone brings a dish and says what they are thankful for.

Sources: Pilgrim Hall Museum · Plimoth Patuxet Museums · Pieterskerk Leiden