今天，十一月二十七号，是很多西方国家的传统节日--感恩节。感恩节的由来你知道吗？感恩节到底是庆祝什么的节目？哪些国家会庆祝感恩节？人们都会准备哪些特别的美食呢？让我们一起来了解了解吧。

What is Thanksgiving？ 什么是感恩节？

Thanksgiving is a national holiday widely celebrated in North America. In the US, many are taught at school that the First Thanksgiving Dinner was held in 1621 Massachusetts. In 1620, the Pilgrims arrived in the New World from England; they were faced with harsh weather and difficult living conditions. Luckily, they received huge help from the native Americans and were able to have a good harvest the following year. So the Pilgrims put on a feast for everyone to celebrate the harvest.

感恩节是北美洲一个被广泛庆祝的公众假日。在美国学校里，大家会学到第一个感恩晚宴是1621年在美国麻马萨诸塞州举办的。1620年的秋季，英格兰的朝圣者来到了新大陆。当时气候和生活环境极其恶劣，幸运的是他们得到了土著美国人的巨大的帮助，终于渡过难关，在第二年创下丰收。所以朝圣者们举办了盛大的宴会庆祝丰收，感谢所有人做出的努力。

Now in the US, it is a time for family reunion, and signaling the start of the festive season before Christmas.

现在感恩节在美国是家人团聚的时刻，同时也预示着圣诞季节的来临。

When is Thanksgiving? 感恩节是哪一天？

In the States, Thanksgiving is usually the fourth Thursday in November. And in many states, the Friday after Thanksgiving Thursday is also a holiday, this is called Black Friday. Many people choose to have a long weekend break, spend time with their family or shop for Christmas presents on Black Friday. Many stores offer special discounts.

在美国感恩节是每年十一月的第四个星期四。在美国很多州，感恩节后的星期五也是一个公众假日，这一天有一个特殊的名字，就是“黑色星期五 Black Friday”。很多人会利用这个长周末探望家人或者趁“黑色星期五”这天采购圣诞节的礼物。很多商店在“黑色星期五”这天都会有各种促销或打折活动。

Thanksgiving food 感恩节的食品

Since Thanksgiving started as a harvest celebration, it’s no wonder that food plays an important part. It’s said that there is more food consumed during Thanksgiving than Christmas. Roast turkey is the must have dish, also, for dessert, pumpkin pies are served.

因为感恩节源于庆祝丰收，所以“吃”在这个节日里是非常重要的。据说在感恩节期间食品的消耗量比圣诞节还要高。烤火鸡是必备食品，另外，甜品非南瓜派莫属了。

Fun facts 感恩节有趣小知识

The president of the United States traditionally ‘pardons’ one lucky turkey each year just before Thanksgiving holiday. The chosen one is spared from the oven and is given freedom to enjoy the rest of its life in the wild.

美国总统每年在感恩节前会“赦免 pardon”一只幸运的火鸡。被“赦免”的幸运火鸡会躲过被送进烤箱的厄运，重新获得自由，在野外悠闲的度过余生。

Did you know that it’s estimated around 46 million turkeys are consumed during Thanksgiving holiday. It’s not fun to be a turkey in America!

你知道吗？每年感恩节期间，美国人会吃掉约46,000,000只火鸡。生活在美国的火鸡命可真苦啊！

In other countries? 其它国家？

As we mentioned before, Thanksgiving is mainly celebrated in America and Canada. However in Canada, Thanksgiving is on the second Monday of October. It’s not big in the UK, although it seems to be gaining popularity. And special Thanksgiving menus have started to pop up in restaurants.

感恩节是美国和加拿大的主要节日。不过在加拿大，感恩节是每年十月的第二个星期一。英国人不会特别庆祝感恩节，不过近些年这个节日好像也逐渐的被越来越多的英国人认可。每年感恩节时，英国的一些餐厅里也会推出特别的感恩节菜单吸引客人前去就餐。

原文转自：http://edu.qq.com/a/20141127/020029.htm

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