每逢感恩節這一天，美國舉國上下熱鬧非常，基督徒按照習俗前往教堂做感恩祈禱，城市鄉鎮到處都有化裝遊行、戲劇表演或體育比賽等。分別了一年的親人們也會從天南海北歸來，一家人團圓，品嚐以“火雞”為主的感恩節美食。
【感恩節來源介紹】
Thanksgiving Day 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. In 1620, the settlers, or Pilgrims, they sailed to America on the May flower, seeking a place where they could have freedom of worship.
After a tempestuous two-month voyage they landed at in icy November, what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. During their first winter, over half of the settlers died of starvation or epidemics. Those who survived began sowing in the first spring.
All summer long they waited for the harvests with great anxiety, knowing that their lives and the future existence of the colony depended on the coming harvest.
Finally the fields produced a yield rich beyond expectations. And therefore it was decided that a day of thanksgiving to the Lord be fixed.
Years later, President of the United States 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 attractive among them are roast turkey and pumpkin pie. They have been the most traditional and favorite food on Thanksgiving Day throughout the years.
Everyone agrees the dinner must be built around roast turkey stuffed with a bread dressing to absorb the tasty juices as it roasts. But as cooking varies with
families and with the regions where one lives, it is not easy to get a consensus on the precise kind of stuffing for the royal bird. Thanksgiving today is, in every sense, a national annual 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.
【感恩節購物與黑色星期五】
感恩節購物已經成為了美國人的'習俗。從感恩節到聖誕節這一個月，美國零售業總銷售額能佔到全年的1/3強，是各個商家傳統的打折促銷旺季。瘋狂的購物月從感恩節的次日(星期五)開始，這一天即被稱為Black Friday(黑色星期五)。
之所以叫這個名字，據說是因為週五這天一大早，所有人都要摸著黑衝到商場排隊買便宜貨，這種行為有個非常形象的說法，叫Early Bird(早起的鳥兒)。在外國“感恩節”和中國的春節一樣重要!
每年一度的總統放生火雞儀式始於1947年杜魯門總統當政時期，但實際上這個傳統儀式可以追溯到美國內戰林肯總統當政的時期。
1863年的一天，林肯的兒子泰德突然闖入內閣會議請求赦免一隻名叫傑克的寵物火雞，因為這隻被送進白宮的火雞，即將成為人們的感恩節大餐。
2006年11月22日，布什在白宮玫瑰花園舉行感恩節放生儀式上，特赦了一隻名叫“飛鳥”的火雞。
美國總統美國總統25號特赦感恩節火雞.並將火雞被命名為“勇氣”。這也是他上任以來，首次特赦火雞。
美國總統並對保護美國人民身家安全的英勇戰士表示感恩。每年11月的第4個星期四是美國感恩節。
在女兒薩莎和瑪麗亞的陪伴下，美國總統特赦了本來要用做盤中餐的火雞.美國總統說，我原本打算吃掉這隻火雞。
由於薩莎和瑪麗亞的干預，我赦免了“勇氣”。這隻火雞將被送到迪士尼樂園。為防止意外，當局還準備了一隻備用火雞，名叫“卡羅琳娜”。
