| Thanksgiving in the United States is a time to gather with family and friends, share a traditional meal and express gratitude for the good things in life. It can also be a time of service to others in the community. |
美國每年一度的感恩節是家人和朋友團聚的日子。在這一天，親朋好友共進傳統風格的大餐，對生活中的諸多恩惠表示感激。還有很多人為鄰里社區的其他人提供服務。 |
| Celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving traces its origins to harvest festivals. It was customary to express gratitude for a bountiful harvest in the cultures of both the Pilgrims who sailed from England in 1620 and the Native Americans they encountered. |
人們在每年11月的第四個星期四歡慶感恩節。慶祝傳統的傳統最早來自慶豐收的活動。不論是1620年從英國跨海來美洲的清教徒，還是他們遇見的美洲印第安人，他們對盛大的豐收表示感激都已形成習俗，成為各自文化的一部分。 |
| A three-day harvest celebration held in 1621 in Plymouth Colony (part of today's Massachusetts) is generally considered to be the first American Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims had arrived the year before on the ship The Mayflower. They hadn't brought enough food, and it was too late to plant crops. Half the colony died during the winter of 1620-1621. In the spring, local Wampanoag Indians taught the colonists how to grow corn (maize) and other crops, and helped them master hunting and fishing. They also showed the colonists how to cook cranberries, corn and squash. |
1621年在普利茅斯殖民地，即今天的馬薩諸塞州，人們舉行為時三天的豐收慶典活動，一般被視為美洲的第一個感恩節。前一年，英國清教徒們乘坐“五月花”號抵達美洲大陸。他們沒有帶足夠的糧食，重新種莊稼又太晚。1620至1621年冬，這個殖民地的一半人口不幸喪生。到了春天，當地萬帕諾亞格部落的印第安人向外來移民介紹如何種植玉米和其他莊稼，并幫助他們學會狩獵和捕魚。他們還教他們如何烹制越橘、玉米和南瓜。 |
| The colonists had bountiful crops in the fall of 1621. They invited their Wampanoag benefactors to feast on wild turkeys, duck, geese, fish and shellfish, corn, green vegetables and dried fruits. Wampanoag Chief Massasoit and his tribe brought venison. |
1621年秋，移民們大獲豐收。他們邀請當地萬帕諾亞格部落的印第安族恩人前來就餐，食物十分豐盛，有野火雞、鴨、鵝、魚蝦貝、玉米、蔬菜和干果。部落酋長馬薩索伊特及部落成員則帶著鹿肉前來赴宴。 |
| Harvest festivals became a regular affair in New England. Thanksgiving was observed on various dates in the states until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as the national Thanksgiving holiday. In 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a law fixing Thanksgiving on the fourth (not always the last) Thursday in November. |
豐收慶典逐漸成為新英格蘭地區的固定節日。1863年前，各州往往在不同日子慶祝感恩節。1863年，林肯總統宣布11月份的最后一個星期四為全國感恩節。1941年，羅斯福總統簽署法律，將感恩節確定為11月的第四個星期四（因為第四個星期四不一定總是最后一個星期四）。 |
| Gathering together and helping out |
歡聚與相助 |
| Many Thanksgiving traditions come from that 1621 harvest celebration. Sheaves of wheat or corn are often used as decorations. Roast turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie are commonly served at Thanksgiving dinner. But as the U.S. population becomes more diverse, so does the Thanksgiving meal. Nowadays, sitting next to the turkey might be a dish of tamales, tabbouleh, couscous or sauerkraut. |
許多感恩節傳統始于1621年的豐收慶典。人們通常用一捆捆的小麥或玉米作節日裝飾。烤火雞、越橘漿、紅薯和南瓜攀都是感恩節晚餐常見的食物。隨著美國人口的日益多樣性，感恩節大餐的內容也更豐富多樣。如今，擺在火雞旁的可能是一盤玉米粉蒸肉、塔博勒色拉、蒸粗麥粉或泡菜。 |
![Dressed as a Pilgrim, a young girl enjoys a forkful of mashed potatoes at the Montessori Children's Center in Wheeling, West Virginia. [IIP Digital]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20111123/00114320def11036dec315.jpg "Dressed as a Pilgrim, a young girl enjoys a forkful of mashed potatoes at the Montessori Children's Center in Wheeling, West Virginia. [IIP Digital]")
