1、Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival. Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and expressgratitude in general. It is a holidaycelebrated primarily in Canada and the United States. While perhaps religious in origin, Thanksgiving is now primarily identified as a secular holiday.Th
2、e date and location of the first Thanksgiving celebration is a topic of modest contention. Though the earliest attested Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida12, the traditional “first Thanksgiving“ is venerated as having occurred at the site of Ply
3、mouth Plantation, in 1621.Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, usually as a gathering of family members and friends.Thanksgiving Dayin America is a time to off
4、er thanks, of family gatherings and holidaymeals. A time of turkeys, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. A time for Indian corn, holiday parades and giantballoons.在美国，感恩节是一个感谢恩赐，家庭团聚，合家欢宴的日子；是一个家家餐桌上都有火鸡、填料、南瓜馅饼的日子；是一个充满了印第安玉米、假日游行和巨型气球的日子。Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November, which thi
5、s year (2005) is November 24th.每年十一月的最后一个星期四是感恩节，在今年（2005）则是 11 月 24 日。下面让我们来看看感恩节的由来吧：The Pilgrims who sailed to this country aboard the Mayflower were originally members of the English Separatist Church (a Puritan sect). They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland (The Nether
6、lands) to escape religious persecution. There, they enjoyed more religious tolerance, but they eventually became disenchantedwith the Dutch way of life, thinking it ungodly. Seeking a better life, the Separatists negotiated with a London stock company to finance a pilgrimage to America. Most of thos
7、e making the trip aboard the Mayflower were non-Separatists, but were hired to protect the companys interests. Only about one-third of the original colonists were Separatists. 乘“五月花 “来到这个国度的旅行者（朝圣者）原本是英国分离者地下教会 清教徒，他们的家在英国，因不堪忍受国内的宗教迫害，他们逃亡到荷兰。在荷兰，他们享受了更多的宗教信仰自由，但最终却意识到在荷兰的这种生活方式是对他们的主的亵渎。为了寻求更好的生活，
8、他们与伦敦贸易公司协商，由该公司资助他们到美国。在这趟旅途中，船上只有大约 1/3 的乘客是清教徒，其他大多数人并非分离派清教徒，而是公司雇佣来保护其利益的人员（契约奴）。 The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the
9、harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast - including 91 Indians who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives. The feast was more
10、 of a traditional English harvest festival than a true “thanksgiving“ observance. It lasted three days. 1620 年 12 月 11 日，旅行者 们在“普利茅斯石“登陆。他们的第一个冬季是灾难性的，第二年秋天来临时，原来的 102 名乘客只剩下 56 人。但 1621 年他们获得了大丰收，这些幸存的殖民者们决定和帮助他们度过困难的 91 名印第安人一起飨宴庆祝。他们相信，若没有当地居民的帮助，他们是不可能度过这一年的。这次节日的盛宴不仅仅是一个“感恩“ 仪式，它更像英国传统的丰收庆典。庆典持
11、续了三天。 Governor William Bradford sent “four men fowling“ after wild ducks and geese. It is not certain that wild turkey was part of their feast. However, it is certain that they had venison. The term “turkey“ was used by the Pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl. 总督布雷德福派了“四人捕鸟队”去捕捉野鸭和野鹅。我们现在并不能确定是否有
12、野生火鸡在当时的筵席上，但筵席上肯定有鹿肉。当时，朝圣者用 “火鸡“ 一词来代表各种野禽。 Another modern staple at almost every Thanksgiving table is pumpkin pie. But it is unlikely that the first feast included that treat. The supply of flour had been long diminished, so there was no bread or pastries of any kind. However, they did eat boile
13、d pumpkin, and they produced a type of fried bread from their corn crop. There was also no milk, cider, potatoes, or butter. There was no domestic cattle for dairy products, and the newly-discovered potatowas still considered by many Europeans to be poisonous. But the feast did include fish, berries
14、, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums. 现在，几乎每家感恩节餐桌上都有南瓜馅饼感恩节的另一种主食。但在当年的第一次庆典上却不可能有这种食品。因为面粉奇缺，所以面包、馅饼、糕点等食物都没有。但他们却吃了煮南瓜，并用收获的玉米制成了一种油炸面包。也没有牛奶、苹果酒、土豆和黄油。没有驯养的奶牛，自然没有牛奶；而新发现的土豆被很多欧洲人认为是有毒的。第一次庆典上有鱼、草莓、豆瓣菜、龙虾、干果、蛤、鹿肉、李子等。 This “thanksgiving“ feast was not repeated the follow
15、ing year. But in 1623, during a severe drought, the pilgrims gathered in a prayer service, praying for rain. When a long, steady rain followed the very next day, Governor Bradford proclaimed another dayof Thanksgiving, again inviting their Indian friends. It wasnt until June of 1676 that another Day
16、 of Thanksgiving was proclaimed. 紧接着的第二年(1622)却没有举行“感恩“庆典。到了 1623 年，发生了一场严重的旱灾，朝圣者们聚集到一起，举行了虔诚的祁雨仪式，刚好在第二天，一场充沛的大雨从天而降。威廉布雷德福总督宣布再次庆祝感恩节，并再次邀请了他们的印第安朋友。之后数年无感恩节，直到 1676 年 6 月，感恩节才再次被提出。每年 11 月的第四个星期四是感恩节 (Thanksgiving Day) 。感恩节是美国人民独创的一个古老节日，也是美国人合家欢聚的节日，因此美国人提起感恩节总是倍感亲切。 感恩节的由来要一直追溯到美国历史的发端。1620 年，
17、著名的“五月花”号船满载不堪忍受英国国内宗教迫害的清教徒 102 人到达美洲。1620 年和 1621年之交的冬天，他们遇到了难以想象的困难，处在饥寒交迫之中，冬天过去时，活下来的移民只有 50 来人。这时，心地善良的印第安人给移民送来了生活必需品，还特地派人教他们怎样狩猎、捕鱼和种植玉米、南瓜。在印第安人的帮助下，移民们终于获得了丰收，在欢庆丰收的日子，按照宗教传统习俗，移民规定了感谢上帝的日子，并决定为感谢印第安人的真诚帮助，邀请他们一同庆祝节日。 在第一个感恩节的这一天，印第安人和移民欢聚一堂，他们在黎明时鸣放礼炮，列队走进一间用作教堂的屋子，虔诚地向上帝表达谢意，然后点起篝火举行盛大宴
18、会。第二天和第三天又举行了摔跤、赛跑、唱歌、跳舞等活动。第一个感恩节非常成功。其中许多庆祝方式流传了 300 多年，一直保留到今天。 初时感恩节没有固定日期，由各州临时决定。直到美国独立后的 1863 年，林肯总统宣布感恩节为全国性节日Fourth of November every year is Thanksgiving Day on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day). Thanksgiving Day is a creative USA the people antiquited festival, festival being also an American w
19、hole family happy get-together, American mentions Thanksgiving Day therefore always feeling very kind. The Thanksgiving Day reason needs to trace back to till USA history start. In 1620, the famous “May flower “ number boat is fully loaded with the religious persecution puritan 102 people who endure
20、s United Kingdom in the homeland extremely getting to America. Winter in 1621 joint of in 1620 and, they have come across difficulty hard to imagine, above being poverty-stricken, past tense in winter, the immigrant who lives down only has 50 messengers. At this time, good-natured Indian being given
21、 to have come an aliment by immigrant , goes out of selfs way to send person to teach them how hunting , maize , Spanish gourd catching fish and cultivating. Under Indian help, immigrants have finally gained good harvest , the immigrant has stipulated the day thanking Gods , have decided to be that
22、the sincerity thanking Indian helps their to observe a festival , invites and in the day celebrating good harvest joyously , according to religious tradition convention.This a day , Indian and immigrant on the first Thanksgiving Day get together joyously , they are in airing of views in the dawn the
23、 salvo, forms order walking into the room one being used as church , express a gratitude piously to God , light up and then a bonfire holding the grand banquet. The day has held a second day with third tripping and falling , race, has sung , has danced to wait to use personal influence. The first Th
24、anksgiving Day are very successful. Among them a lot of the more than 300 years having celebrated way go around, reserves till today. When original Thanksgiving Day does not fix date , the prefecture decides for a short time by every. Until USA is independent, in 1863 in the day afer tomorrow, President Lincoln announces Thanksgiving Day is countrywide festival.
