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.
美国每年一度的感恩节是家人和朋友团聚的日子。在这一天，亲朋好友共进传统风格的大餐，对生活中的诸多恩惠表示感激。还有很多人为邻里社区的其他人提供服务。
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.
人们在每年11月的第四个星期四欢庆感恩节。庆祝的传统最早来自庆丰收的活动。不论是1620年从英国跨海来美洲的清教徒，还是他们遇见的美洲印第安人，他们对盛大的丰收表示感激都已形成习俗，成为各自文化的一部分。
A three-day harvest celebration held in 1621 in Plymouth Colony 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，人们举行为时三天的丰收庆典活动，一般被视为美洲的第一个感恩节。前一年，英国清教徒们乘坐“五月花”号抵达美洲大陆。他们没有带足够的粮食，重新种庄稼又太晚。1620至1621年冬，这个殖民地的一半人口不幸丧生。到了春天，当地万帕诺亚格部落的印第安人向外来移民介绍如何种植玉米和其他庄稼，并帮助他们学会狩猎和捕鱼。他们还教他们如何烹制越橘、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，移民们大获丰收。他们邀请当地万帕诺亚格部落的印第安族恩人前来就餐，食物十分丰盛，有野火鸡、鸭、鹅、鱼虾贝、玉米、蔬菜和干果。部落酋长马萨索伊特及部落成员则带着鹿肉前来赴宴。
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.
丰收庆典逐渐成为新英格兰地区的固定节日。1863年前，各州往往在不同日子庆祝感恩节。1863年，林肯总统宣布11月份的最后一个星期四为全国感恩节。1941年，罗斯福总统签署法律，将感恩节确定为11月的第四个星期四（因为第四个星期四不一定总是最后一个星期四）。
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.
许多感恩节传统始于1621年的丰收庆典。人们通常用一捆捆的小麦或玉米作节日装饰。烤火鸡、越橘酱、红薯和南瓜派都是感恩节晚餐常见的食物。随着美国人口的日益多样性，感恩节大餐的内容也更丰富多样。如今，摆在火鸡旁的可能是一盘玉米粉蒸肉、塔博勒色拉、蒸粗麦粉或泡菜。
Colleges serve a special meal for students remaining on campus during Thanksgiving, and international students are often invited to share Thanksgiving with local families. U.S. troops stationed overseas are served a Thanksgiving meal. When Americans at home sit down at the table and give thanks, they often express gratitude for their freedom and the sacrifices made to preserve it.
美国各大学在感恩节时会为在校学生提供一顿特殊的餐饭。通常外国学生还会受邀与当地家庭共度感恩节。美国驻扎在海外的军人也能享有一顿感恩节大餐。能够在家里欢聚一堂的美国人在表示感恩时，通常会为自己的自由以及为捍卫自由而作出牺牲的人们表达感激之情。
Many people prepare Thanksgiving meals and serve them to the needy. Others donate to food drives, work at food warehouses or deliver groceries to soup kitchens, churches and other charitable groups.
在这一天到来的时候，不少人会参加准备感恩节大餐的工作，向有需要的人供餐。还有些人支持食品捐助活动，到食品仓库干活，或向公益厨房、教堂和其他慈善组织运送食品。
Thanksgiving is the busiest travel period of the year because families make a special effort to be together. Some favorite pastimes include watching television coverage of the annual Macy’s Department Store parade in New York and of American football games played around the country. The day after Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, an important time for U.S. retailers.
感恩节是一年中旅行最繁忙的时期。许多家庭会想一切办法举家团聚。人们喜爱的一些娱乐活动有，观看电视直播纽约市每年一度梅西百货商店的大游行以及全国各地举行的美式足球比赛。感恩节后第二天意味着圣诞购物季节的开始，这对美国零售商来说是一个重要的促销季节。
One whimsical Thanksgiving tradition is the annual “pardoning” of a turkey by the U.S. president, who spares the bird from the dinner table. The bird goes on to live out its life at a petting zoo.
感恩节还有一个有趣的传统。美国总统每年会“赦免”一只火鸡，这只火鸡可在宠物园度过余生，免遭成为盘中餐的命运。
The harvest celebration of 1621 was followed by a long period of injustice and conflict between Native Americans and Europeans. Many Native Americans in the United States see Thanksgiving as a “National Day of Mourning.” However, others enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal at home or in large community gatherings, taking the opportunity to spend a day with family and friends. Each year in southern California, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians donates thousands of turkeys to charities and families in need.
1621年举行丰收庆典活动之后，在印第安人和欧洲移民之间出现了较长时期的不公平和相互冲突的情形。美国许多印第安人视感恩节为“国殇日”。但也有其他印第安人在家中享受感恩节大餐，或参加大型社区集会，并利用这个机会与家人和朋友共度佳节。南加州的印第安莫龙戈部落每年都为慈善组织和有需求的家庭捐送数千只火鸡。
Native American history and culture are frequently discussed in schools around the Thanksgiving holiday and during November, which is National Native American Heritage Month.
11月恰逢全国印第安人传统月，许多学校经常在感恩节前后讨论印第安人历史及文化。
