西方一年一度的感恩節是一個傳達祝福與感恩的節日。對於中國人來說，感恩節意味著火雞大餐。而實際上，西方還有許多特別的感恩節習俗。下面就來了解一下吧!
【GATHERING TOGETHERAND HELPING OUT歡聚與相助】
Many Thanksgiving traditions come from that 1621 harvest celebration. Sheavesof wheat or corn are often used as decorations. Roast turkey, cranberry sauce,sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie are commonly served at Thanksgiving dinner. Butas the U.S. population becomes more diverse, so does the Thanksgiving days, sitting next to the turkey might be a dish of tamales, tabbouleh,couscous or sauerkraut.
許多感恩節傳統始於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(tamales)、塔博勒色拉(tabbouleh)、蒸粗麥粉(couscous)或泡菜(sauerkraut)。
Colleges serve a special meal for students remaining on campus duringThanksgiving, and international students are often invited to shareThanksgiving with local families. U.S. troops stationed overseas are served aThanksgiving meal. When Americans at home sit down at the table and givethanks, they often express gratitude for their freedom and the sacrifices madeto preserve it.
美國各大學在感恩節時會為在校學生提供一頓特殊的餐飯。通常外國學生還會受邀與當地家庭共渡感恩節。美國駐紮在海外的軍人也能享有一頓感恩節大餐。能夠在家裡歡聚一堂的美國人在表示感恩時，通常會為自己的自由以及為捍衛自由而作出犧牲的人們表達感激之情。
Many people prepare Thanksgiving meals and serve them to the needy. Othersdonate to food drives, work at food warehouses or deliver groceries to soupkitchens, churches and other charitable groups.
在這一天到來的時候，不少人會參加準備感恩節大餐的工作，向有需要的人供餐。還有些人支援食品捐助活動，到食品倉庫幹活，或向公益廚房、教堂和其他慈善組織運送食品。
Thanksgiving is the busiest travel period of the year because families make aspecial effort to be together. Some favorite pastimes include watchingtelevision coverage of the annual Macy’s Department Store parade in New Yorkand of American football games played around the country. The day afterThanksgiving marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, an importanttime for U.S. retailers.
感恩節是一年中旅行最繁忙的時期。許多家庭會想一切辦法舉家團聚。人們喜愛的一些娛樂活動有，觀看電視直播紐約市(New York)每年一度梅西百貨商店(Macy’s Department Store)的遊行以及全國各地舉行的美式足球比賽。感恩節後第二天意味著聖誕購物季節的開始，這對美國零售商來說是一個重要的促銷季節。
One whimsical Thanksgiving tradition is the annual “pardoning” of a turkey bythe U.S. president, who spares the bird from the dinner table. The bird goes onto live out its life at a petting zoo.
感恩節還有一個有趣的傳統。美國總統每年會“赦免”(pardoning)一隻火雞，這隻火雞可在寵物園度過餘生，免遭成為盤中餐的命運。
【感恩節文化面面觀】
when it comes to thanksgiving, turkey may be the first thing that comes to mind. it’s the right picture, but it’s not complete.
提到感恩節，你首先會想到的可能是火雞。儘管火雞大餐是感恩節的重頭戲，但並不能全權代表這一節日。
celebrated on the fourth thursday of november every year, nov 28 this year, thanksgiving day is a time for communal thanksgiving and lavish feasts. it’s about expressing your gratitude to the important people and all the good things in your life.
每年11月的第四個星期四是感恩節，今年是11月28日。感恩節是一個全民感恩、享用盛宴的時刻。在這一天，你要向生命中最重要的.人、最美好的事物表達感恩之情。
americans celebrate thanksgiving with much fervor and maintain many traditional customs. here we introduce a few of the rituals americans typically follow on this day.
美國人十分看重感恩節，並傳承了許多傳統風俗。下面，就來為大家介紹一些美國人慶祝感恩節的傳統風俗。
time for prayers and paying back祝福與感恩的時刻
thanksgiving day has been associated with communal prayers in church and in homes for centuries. attending church prayer services in the morning is the first step of many celebrators on thanksgiving day. the churches provide worship services and organize special events for the occasion.
數百年來，每到感恩節人們都會聚集在教堂或家裡祈禱。早晨去教堂參加禱告儀式是許多人慶祝感恩節的第一個節目。教堂會舉行禮拜儀式並組織感恩節特別活動。
before thanksgiving meals, some families gather together and read prayers to thank god for his kindness and the gifts he has bestowed upon them in the form of friends and family.
在享用感恩節大餐前，有的家庭會齊聚一堂向上帝禱告，感謝它的仁慈，感謝它恩賜給我們家人與朋友。
some people also do voluntary community work on this day, as a way of paying back.
還有一些人選擇在這一天去做社群義工，以示感恩。
family reunions and showing gratitude團圓與感恩
like china’s spring festival, preparing a big meal and bringing the family together at home is a long-standing tradition of thanksgiving. distances don’t really matter as relatives return home to be with their family, no matter how far away.
和中國的春節一樣，準備大餐和舉家團聚是感恩節的悠久傳統。距離不是問題，無論多遠，親人們都會趕回家與家人團聚。
undoubtedly, turkey is the main course of thanksgiving dinner. though there is no evidence to prove that turkey was eaten during the first thanksgiving dinner, most agree that the dinner would be incomplete without it. a survey conducted by the us’ national turkey federation in 2012 shows that 91 percent of americans eat turkey and more than 306 million kilograms of turkey are consumed on thanksgiving day.
毫無疑問，火雞是這頓節日大餐的重頭戲。儘管尚無證據表明第一頓感恩節的餐桌上是否有火雞的蹤影，但大多數人都贊同沒有火雞的感恩節大餐是不完整的。根據美國國家火雞聯盟2012年的調查資料顯示，在感恩節這一天，91%的美國家庭都會享用火雞，總量超過3.06億公斤。
other dishes typically found on dinner tables in almost every house are pumpkin pies, corn, fall vegetables, olives, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mashed potatoes. at the meal, many families observe the ritual of taking turns to express what each member is thankful for.
家家戶戶餐桌上常見的菜品還有南瓜派、玉米、秋季時令蔬菜、橄欖、蔓越莓果醬、火雞填料和土豆泥。餐桌上，很多家庭會遵守一項慣例：輪流向每位家庭成員表達感謝。
parades bring nation together全民狂歡
while feasts make thanksgiving a festival for individual families, parades make it a carnival for the whole nation. various parades are held in many cities to honor thanksgiving. one of the largest is new york’s thanksgiving day parade, which is currently called macy’s thanksgiving day parade. started in 1924, more than 2 million people attend the parade every year.
團圓飯讓感恩節成為所有家庭的節日，而遊行則讓感恩節變成全民的狂歡。許多城市都會舉辦各式各樣的感恩節遊行活動。其中規模最盛大的就要數紐約感恩節遊行，也就是現在人們口中的梅西感恩節遊行。它始於1924年，每年有超過200萬人參與其中。
important features of the parade are themed floats, scenes from broadway plays, large balloons of cartoon characters and tv personalities, and high school marching bands. the parade traditionally ends with a santa claus float, which marks the unofficial beginning of the christmas season.
這場遊行的亮點包括主題花車、百老匯戲劇場景再現、印有卡通人物或電視明星的巨大氣球和高中軍樂隊。整場遊行會以聖誕老人花車作為壓軸表演，以此非正式地宣告聖誕季的開始。
football games as a highlight of the day橄欖球比賽成為節日亮點
after-dinner rituals are just as important as the meal itself, and no after-dinner ritual is more important than the football game. the us’ national football league has played a special game on thanksgiving every year since its creation in 1920 (with the exception of 1939-1944 due to world war ii). it’s referred to as the thanksgiving classic, and thousands of fans watch it with popcorn and chips in hand, either in stadiums or on television.
餐後習俗同節日大餐一樣重要，而橄欖球比賽便是餐後的一道最重要的“大餐”。美國國家橄欖球聯盟自1920年成立以來每年都會舉行感恩節專場比賽(1939年至1944年由於二戰中斷)。該賽事被奉為“感恩節經典”，成千上萬的球迷手捧薯條和爆米花在現場或電視上觀看這場比賽。
in 1863, a reporter jokingly said, “thanksgiving is a holiday granted by the nation to see a game of football.” it’s absolutely true.
1863年，有記者曾開玩笑說：“感恩節是國家授權觀看橄欖球賽事的節日。”這話千真萬確。
big day of discounts瘋狂打折日
while chinese citizens enjoy an online shopping spree on nov 11, americans flock to physical stores just after thanksgiving. the friday after thanksgiving day is famously known as “black friday” because of the standard accounting practice of writing profits in black.
中國的網民有“雙十一”購物狂潮，而美國人會在感恩節過後蜂擁到實體店血拼。感恩節之後的週五便是著名的“黑色星期五”了，這一天得名於會計用黑色墨水記錄盈利的傳統。
many employers give their employees the day off as part of the thanksgiving holiday weekend, so retailers seize the opportunity to offer discounts and put items on sale. hundreds of thousands of people take advantage of the opportunity to hunt for bargains. the sight of people waiting in long lines for shops to open on the morning after thanksgiving day is quite normal.
許多老闆會在這一天給員工放假，作為感恩節週末假日的一部分。而商家自然要抓住這一機會進行打折促銷。無數消費者則看準了時機搶購打折商品。感恩節過後，人們一大早大排長龍等待店鋪開門的場景隨處可見。
