WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today is Thanksgiving Day, one of the most traditional of American holidays. It’s thought to have begun in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The holiday became national in 1863, and the fourth Thursday of the month has been the official day since 1941.

In many of the nation’s nearly 116 million households, people will share a special meal, typically turkey with all the traditional trimmings.

U.S. farmers raise around 235 million turkeys annually, down from over 270 million in 2007.

Americans eat an average of over 12.5 pounds of turkey each year, while the birds themselves have — or had — an average weight of 30 pounds.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau