Thanksgiving Day in America is a time to offer thanks， of family gatherings and holiday meals.
The Story of Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day in America is a time to offer thanks， of family gatherings and holiday meals. A time of turkeys， stuffing， and pumpkin pie. A time for Indian corn， holiday parades and giant balloons.
Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November， which this year (2006) is November 30th. Let us look at the story of Thansgiving Day.
在美国，感恩节是一个感谢恩赐，家庭团聚，合家欢宴的日子。
感恩节的故事
在美国，感恩节是一个感谢恩赐，家庭团聚，合家欢宴的日子；是一个家家餐桌上都有火鸡、填料、番瓜馅饼的日子；是一个充满了印第安玉米、假日游行和巨型气球的日子。
每年十一月的最后一个星期四是感恩节，在今年（2005）则是11月30日。让我们来看看感恩节的由来吧。
The Pilgrims who sailed to this country aboard the Mayflower were originally members of the English Separatistseparatist n.分离主义者， 独立派 Church (a Puritan sect). They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland (The Netherlands) to escape religious persecution. There， they enjoyed more religious tolerancetolerance n.公差， 宽容， 忍受， 容忍， but they eventually became disenchanteddisenchanted 不再着迷的 with the Dutch way of life， thinking it ungodly.
Seeking a better life， the Separatists negotiatednegotiate v.(与某人)商议， 谈判， 磋商， ，买卖， 让渡(支票、债券等)， 通过， 越过 with a London stock company to finance a pilgrimagepilgrimage n.朝圣vi.朝拜， 朝圣 to America. Most of those making the trip aboard the Mayflower were nonSeparatists， but were hired to protect the companys interests. Only about onethird 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，其它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 on December 11， 1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of the following fall， they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountifulbountiful adj.慷慨的， 宽大的 one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast—including 91 Indians who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year.
It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives. The feast was more of a traditionaltraditional adj.传统的， 惯例的， 口传的， 传说的 English harvest festival than a true “thanksgiving” observance. It lasted three days.
Governor William Bradford sent “four men fowling” after wild ducks and geese. It is not certain that wild turkey was part of their feast. However， it is certain that they had venison. The term “turkey” was used by the Pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl.
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。
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 Thanksgiving table is pumpkin pie. But it is unlikely that the first feast included that treat. The supply of flour had been long diminished， so there was no bread or pastriespastry n.面粉糕饼，馅饼皮 of any kind. However， they did eat boiled pumpkin， and they produced a type of fried bread from their corn crop.
Then， there was also no milk， cider， potatoes， or butter. There was no domesticdomestic adj.家庭的，国内的，与人共处的，驯服的 cattle for dairy products， and the newlydiscovered potato was still considered by many Europeans to be poisonous. But the feast did include fish， berriesberry n.浆果， watercress， lobsterlobster n.龙虾， dried fruit， clams， venison， and plums.
This “thanksgiving” feast was not repeated the following year. But in 1623， during a severe drought， the pilgrims gathered in a prayer service， praying for rain.