（ Fourth Thursday in November)

Thanksgiving Day

• Date-Fourth Thursday in November

• Background

• How to celebrate

节日简介11 月的第四个星期四是感恩节。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备感亲切。感恩节是美国国定假日中最地道、最美国式的节日 (holiday) ，它和早期美国历史最为密切相关 [1] 。 1620 年，一些朝拜者乘坐“五月花”号船去美洲寻求宗教自由。他们在海上颠簸了两个月之后，终于在酷寒的十一月里，在现在的马莎塞州的普里茅斯登陆。 在第一个冬天，半数以上的移民都死于 (die) 饥饿和传染病，活下来的人们在第一个春季即 1621 年开始播种。整个夏天 (summer) 他们都热切地盼望着丰收的到来，他们深知自己的生存以及殖民地的存在都将取决于即将到来的收成。最后 (finally) ，庄稼获得了意外的丰收，为了感谢上帝赐予的丰收，举行了 3 天的狂欢活动。从此，这一习俗就沿续下来，并逐渐风行各地。 1863 年，美国总统林肯宣布每年十一月的第四个星期四为感恩节。感恩节庆祝活动便定在这一天，直到如今。届时，家家团聚，举国同庆，其盛大、热烈的情形，不亚于中国人过春节。

Background （ Origin) of Thanksgiving Day

• Thanksgiving is America's preeminent day. It is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in the month of November. It has a very interesting history. Its origin can be traced back to the 16th century when the first thanksgiving dinner is said to have taken place

• The legendary pilgrims, crossed the Atlantic in the year 1620 in Mayflower-A 17th Century sailing vessel. About 102 people traveled for nearly two months with extreme difficulty.

• The pilgrims reached Plymouth rock on December 11th 1620, after a sea journey of 66 days. Though the original destination was somewhere in the northern part of Virginia, they could not reach the place owing to winds blowing them off course. Nearly46 pilgrims died due to extreme cold in winter. However, in the spring of 1621, Squanto, a native Indian taught the pilgrims to survive by growing food.

• In the summer of 1621, owing to severe drought, pilgrims called for a day of fasting and prayer to please God and ask for a bountiful harvest in the coming season. God answered their prayers and it rained at the end of the day. It saved the corn crops

• It is said that Pilgrims learnt to grow corn, beans and pumpkins from the Indians, which helped all of them survive . In the autumn of 1621, they held a grand celebration where 90 people were invited including Indians. The grand feast was organized to thank god for his favors.

“Mayflower”

• It is traditional for families and groups of friends to get together for a large meal. This often consists of a turkey, stuffing, different types of potatoes, cranberry sauce （蔓越橘酱） , gravy and maize and other seasonal vegetables. The meal also often includes pumpkin pie. Many of these foods are native to the Americas and were not available in Europe at the time of the first settlers. This adds to their symbolism of giving thanks for a good harvest in a new country.

• Thanksgiving Day parades are held in some cities and towns on or around Thanksgiving Day. Some parades or festivities also mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season. Many football games are played and watching them is a popular activity. Some people have a four-day weekend so it is a popular time for trips out of town and to visit friends and family.

• Most government offices, businesses, schools and other organizations are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Many offices and businesses allow staff to have a four-day weekend so these offices and businesses also closed on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day. Public transit systems do not usually operate on their regular timetables.

• Many families and groups of friends get together for Thanksgiving so it is one of the busiest periods for travel. This can cause congestion and overcrowding. Seasonal parades and busy football games can cause disruption to traffic locally. Some states, such as Maine （缅因州） and West Virginia （弗吉尼亚州） (among others), have an extra day for the Thanksgiving holiday. The following day is known as Thanksgiving Friday in these states

symbols

• Pumpkin

• Pumpkins are a Thanksgiving favorite for about 400 years

symbols

• Turkey

• Turkey is an inseparable part of Thanksgiving celebration

symbols

• Cranberry

• Cranberry sauce is turkey's favorite thanksgiving feast partner

symbols

• Cornucopia

• Cornucopia is a horn-shaped basket filled with fruits & goodies

symbols

• Beans

• Beans are regarded as the third of the Indian Three Sisters