Thanksgiving Day in America is a time to offer thanks, of family gatherings and holiday meals. Atime of turkeys, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. A time for Indian corn, holidayparades and giant balloons.
The Pilgrims who sailed tothis country aboard the Mayflower were originally members of the EnglishSeparatist Church (a Puritan sect)。 They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland (The Netherlands) to escape religiouspersecution. There, they enjoyed more religious tolerance, but they eventuallybecame disenchanted with the Dutch way of life, thinking it ungodly. Seeking abetter life, the Separatists negotiated with a London stock company to financea pilgrimage to America. Most of those making the trip aboard the Mayflowerwere non-Separatists, but were hired to protect the company's interests. Onlyabout 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，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 onDecember 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of thefollowing fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on theMayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remainingcolonists decided to celebrate with a feast ——including 91 Indians who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year. Itis believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year withoutthe help of the natives. The feast was more of a traditional English harvestfestival 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。庆典持续了三天。
Governor William Bradford sent “four men fowling” after wild ducks andgeese. It is not certain that wild turkey was part of their feast. However, itis 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 Thanksgivingtable is pumpkin pie. But it is unlikely that the first feast included thattreat. The supply of flour had been long diminished, so there was no bread orpastries of any kind. However, they did eat boiled pumpkin, and they produced atype 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 thene
wly-discovered potato was still considered by many Europeans to be poisonous.But the feast did include fish, berries, 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。
感恩节的英语 This “thanksgiving” feast was not repeated the following year. But in 1623, during asevere drought, the pilgrims gathered in a prayer service, praying for rain.When a long, steady rain followed the very next day, Governor Bradfordproclaimed another day of Thanksgiving, again inviting their Indian friends. Itwasn't until June of 1676 that another Day 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。
On June 20, 1676, the governing council ofCharlestown, Massachusetts, held a meeting to determine how best to expressthanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established.By unanimous vote they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29as a day of thanksgiving. It is notable that this thanksgiving celebrationprobably did not include the Indians, as the celebration was meant partly to bein recognition of the colonists' recent victory over the “heathen natives,”
The Thanksgiving legacy has been alive for hundreds of years. The customs we see in our homes today remind us of ancient celebrations of harvest, thankfulness for peace, and the endeavors of native Americans. It consists of stories of those who believe that gratitude for blessings is a virtue all must possess.
感恩节的已经有好几百年的历史了。现在我们看到的关于它的习俗活动使我们想起了过去人们的丰收、感谢和平以及美国印地安人的努力。这些都是由那些信仰感恩和赐福的人的
故事构成。
★Custom of Family Dinner(家宴习俗)
The traditional stuffed turkey adorns every dinner table during the feast. pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, corns are some of the dishes cooked everywhere to mark the day.
家庭盛宴是感恩节期间的一个重要习俗。全家人围坐在饭桌边一起祈祷，愿上帝施与永不停息的恩惠。 这也让身处异地的亲友欢聚一堂，同庆美好时光。
Though historians don’t have an evidence to prove that turkey was eaten during the first thanksgiving dinner, the thanksgiving celebration will be incomplete without it.
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