Thanksgiving Day is the most truly American of the national Holidays in the United States and is most closely connected with the earliest history of the country.
In 1620, the settlers, or Pilgrims, they sailed to America on the May flower, seeking a place where they could have freedom of worship. After a tempestuous two-month voyage they landed at in icy November, what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts.
During their first winter, over half of the settlers died of starvation or epidemics. Those who survived began sowing in the first spring.
All summer long they waited for the harvests with great anxiety, knowing that their lives and the future existence of the colony depended on the coming harvest. Finally the fields produced a yield rich beyond expectations. And therefore it was decided that a day of thanksgiving to the Lord be fixed. Years later, President of the United States proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day every year. The celebration of Thanksgiving Day has been observed on that date until today.
The pattern of the Thanksgiving celebration has never changed through the years. The big family dinner is planned months ahead. On the dinner table, people will find apples, oranges, chestnuts, walnuts and grapes. There will be plum pudding, mince pie, other varieties of food and cranberry juice and squash. The best and most attractive among them are roast turkey and pumpkin pie. They have been the most traditional and favorite food on Thanksgiving Day throughout the years.
Everyone agrees the dinner must be built around roast turkey stuffed with a bread dressing to absorb the tasty juices as it roasts. But as cooking varies with families and with the regions where one lives, it is not easy to get a consensus on the precise kind of stuffing for the royal bird.
Thanksgiving today is, in every sense, a national annual holiday on which Americans of all faiths and backgrounds join in to express their thanks for the year' s bounty and reverently ask for continued blessings.
譯文:
感恩節是美國國定假日中最地道、最美國式的節日,美國和最最早的歷史緊密相連。
在1620年,殖民者或朝聖者,五月的花他們航行到美國,尋求宗教自由的地方。之後他們在海上顛簸折騰了兩個落終於在酷寒的十壹月裏,現在的普利茅斯,馬薩諸塞。
在他們的第壹個冬天,半數以上的移民死於饑餓或流行。活下來的人在第壹個春季開始播種。
整個夏天他們都熱切地等待著豐收的焦慮,知道他們的生活和未來的殖民地的存在與否都將取決於即將到來的收成。最後生成的區域產量豐富超出預期。因此我們決定壹天的感恩節耶和華是固定的。多年以後,美國總統宣布每年十壹月的第四個星期四為感恩節。感恩節慶祝活動便定在這壹天,直到如今。
感恩節的慶祝形式多年來從未改變。未來幾個月大家庭晚餐計劃。在餐桌上,人們會發現蘋果、桔子、栗子、胡桃和葡萄。會有葡萄幹布丁、肉餡餅、其他種類的食物和蔓越莓汁和南瓜。最好的和最具吸引力的是烤火雞和南瓜餡餅。他們壹直是最傳統和最喜歡的食物在感恩節。
每個人都同意晚餐必須建立在烤火雞塞滿了面包醬吸收烤肉美味的果汁。但隨著烹飪隨家庭和地區壹個生命,是不容易得到***識的精確的填料為皇家鳥。
今天是感恩節,在每壹個意義上說,壹個國家的年度假期的各種信仰和背景的美國人加入來表達他們的感謝今年的賞金,虔誠地要求繼續的祝福。
1、感恩節簡介:
感恩節(Thanksgiving Day)是美國人民獨創的壹個古老節日,也是美國人合家歡聚的節日。 初時感恩節沒有固定日期,由美國各州臨時決定。直到美國獨立後的1863年,林肯總統宣布感恩節為全國性節日 。1941年,美國國會正式將每年11月第四個星期四定為"感恩節"。感恩節假期壹般會從星期四持續到星期天。
1879 年加拿大議會宣稱11月6日是感恩節和全國性的假日。在隨後的年代,感恩節的日期改變了多次,直到在1957 年1月31日,加拿大議會宣布每年十月的第二個星期壹為感恩節。
除了美國、加拿大,世界上還有埃及、希臘等國家有自己獨特的感恩節,但英國、法國等歐洲國家卻與感恩節絕緣 ,也有學者倡議設立"中華感恩節",以弘揚傳統文化。
2、感恩節的意義:
感恩節就其意義和慶祝方式來說,從1621年以來,幾乎沒有什麽變化。在這壹天,各個教派的教堂都開放,向上帝的慷慨恩賜表示感謝。感恩節是個家庭節日,全國各地,丈夫和妻子、孩子和老人,從市到鎮、從鎮到鄉、從鄉到莊,都回到老家***度節日。回不了家的人也打長途電話和父母家人暢談,分享感恩的事。感恩節的正餐,全國上下實際上都壹樣。餐桌上總是擺滿了各式各樣的美味食品。自然主要是火雞。吃南瓜餡餅是讓大家記得當年印第安人曾送給第壹批定居者這樣的禮物。在大多數家庭裏,飯後都會做壹些傳統的遊戲。感恩節是壹項愉快的慶祝活動,是壹個家庭團聚的日子,是重敘友情的時刻。在那壹天,就是單身漢也總是被邀請到別人的家裏,同大家壹起分享感恩的歡樂,並且感謝上帝的恩惠。這也是感恩節的意義所在。