Thanksgiving Day—the fourth Thursday of November—is an old festival created only by American People. It is the most truly American of the national Holidays in the United States and is most closely connected with the earliest history of the country.
Thanksgiving Day can be trace back to the beginning of American history. In 1620， the settlers (or Pilgrims) sailed to America on the May flower， seeking a place where they could have freedom of worship①. After a tempestuous② two-month voyage， in icy November， they landed at what is now Plymouth， Massachusetts.
During that cold winter， more than half of the settlers died of starvation③ or epidemics. Those who survived began sowing in the first spring. All through the summer， they waited for the harvests with great anxiety， because they knew that their lives and the future existence of the colony depended on the coming harvest. Finally， the fields produced a yield rich out of their expectations④. Therefore， they decided to fix a day to thank the grace of God. Many years later， President of the United States of America proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day every year. The celebration of Thanksgiving Day has been observed on that date until today.
The pattern of the Thanksgiving celebration has never changed through the years. The big family dinner is planned months ahead. On the dinner table， people will find apples， oranges， chestnuts， walnuts and grapes. There will be plum pudding， mince pie， other varieties of food and cranberry juice and squash. The best and most attractive⑤ among them are roast turkey and pumpkin pie. They have been the most traditional and favorite food on Thanksgiving Day throughout the years.
Thanksgiving today is， in every sense， a national holiday on which Americans of all faiths and backgrounds join in to express their thanks for the year’ s bounty and reverently ask for continued blessings.
① worshipv. 崇拜，敬仰，敬神
② tempestuousadj. 剧烈的，狂暴的
③ starvationn. 饥饿，挨饿
④ expectationsn. 期待，期望
⑤ attractiveadj.有吸引力的，引人注目的
感恩节
11月的第四个星期四是感恩节。感恩节是美国人民独创的一个古老节日，在美国国定假日中，感恩节是最美国式的节日，它和美国早期历史联系得最为密切。
感恩节的由来要一直追溯到美国历史的发端。1620年，一些朝圣者（或称为清教徒）乘坐“五月花”号船去美国寻求宗教自由。在海上颠簸折腾了两个月之后，他们终于在酷寒的11月里，在现在的马萨诸塞州的普里茅斯登陆。
在第一个冬天，半数以上的移民都死于饥饿和传染病，活下来的人们在第一个春季开始播种。整个夏天他们都热切地盼望着丰收的到来，因为他们深知自己的生存以及殖民地的存在与否都将取决于将要到来的收成。后来，庄稼获得了意外的丰收，所以大家决定要选一个日子来感谢上帝的恩惠。多年以后，美国总统宣布每年11月的第四个星期四为感恩节。感恩节庆祝活动便定在这一天，直到如今。
感恩节庆祝模式许多年来从未改变。丰盛的家宴早在几个月之前就开始着手准备。人们在餐桌上可以吃到苹果、桔子、栗子、胡桃和葡萄，还有葡萄干布丁、碎肉馅饼、各种其它食物以及红莓苔汁和鲜果汁，其中最妙和最吸引人的大菜是烤火鸡和番瓜馅饼，这些菜一直是感恩节中最富于传统意义和最受人喜爱的食品。
今天的感恩节是一个不折不扣的国定假日。在这一天，具有各种信仰和各种背景的美国人，共同为他们一年来所受到的上苍的恩典表示感谢，虔诚地祈求上帝继续赐福。
