How Filipino-Americans celebrate the heart of Thanksgiving in the US

The last United States Census reported in 2020 that there are 4.4 million Filipino-Americans living in the United States and that the most widely spoken language in the Philippines — Tagalog — is the fourth most spoken language across the Northern American nation. Given how so much of the modern-day Filipino's history has been more and more intertwined with relatives working, migrating and building lives abroad — most significantly in the United States — it is without a doubt that many generations have added Filipino touches to American traditions, not least of which is the most beloved US Thanksgiving, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every year. A national holiday originating in the 1600s, it was set aside as "a day of prayer for blessings and gratitude for abundant harvests." It takes place this year on November 23.

While many discoveries have been traced back to the true history of Thanksgiving, Filipino-Americans continue to focus on the most important messages of this holiday: deep and joyful gratitude for and the importance of family, which has always been at the center of Philippine culture from the beginning.