Thanksgiving Feast

By Karen Zhang

每年11月的第四個星期四是感恩節，這是美國人獨創的一個古老節日。美國人提起感恩節總是倍感親切，因為這是合家歡聚的節日，也是美國國定假日中最地道、最美國式的節日。

感恩節的來歷要追溯到1620年，英國的一些受宗教迫害的清教徒乘坐“五月花”號去美洲尋求宗教自由，在海上顛簸兩個月之后，終于在寒冷的11月在普利茅斯登陸。這年冬天，半數以上的移民死于饑餓和傳染病，他們得到了當地印第安人的幫助，并在第二年春天開始播種，豐收后，為了感謝上帝的賜予和印第安人的幫助，他們舉行了3天的狂歡。這一習俗延續至今。

說到感恩節，自然少不了傳統的闔家盛宴，下面讓我們來看看美國人是如何度過感恩節的吧。

Thanksgiving is a traditional American holiday. It falls on the fourth Thursday of every November. Americans usually take the following Friday off， especially after having such a hearty meal—nobody wants to work.

Unlike Christmas or Easter， Thanksgiving is not religious but was first celebrated by the Pilgrims[朝圣者] after their harvest in the New World—North America—in the 17th century. So as you can imagine， delicacies from appetizers[開胃食品] like various dips， salads and soup to the key dishes like roast turkey， vegetables and corn bread to desserts like pumpkin pies， cider[蘋果汁]， ice cream， you name them， will all be served in one meal on Thanksgiving Day. Theres so much to savor[品嘗]， just be prepared to have an eating marathon all night！

I did not know how important Thanksgiving is to Americans until I got to this country. Thanksgiving is comparable to the family reunion on winter solstice[冬至] or on Spring Festivals eve in China. Most Americans prefer spending Thanksgiving Day with their family members at home. It is a time for family—both immediate and distant—to get together. So the traffic this time of year across the States is super heavy.

My first year studying in America， I was invited to my professors home for Thanksgiving. Early in the evening， her house had been packed with guests—mostly family members—from all over the world. Surrounded by all sorts of goodies， I felt so at home. My professor and several helpers were working hard in the kitchen. They had prepared the feast[盛宴] a week before. See， that is the American spirit of do-it-yourself， instead of dining out or ordering catered food.

If you want to try everything served on the table， take a small portion of each. That was the lesson I learned. Otherwise， your belly[肚子，腹部] might be too stuffed before the best dish is served.

If you are spending Thanksgiving in America， you cannot get away from American football. Watching the football game is a Thanksgiving tradition after a big fat meal. However， if you do not like American football and you can somehow hang on until midnight， you can try your luck at the Black Friday sales.

Black Friday—the Friday after Thanksgiving—is the first day of the Christmas shopping season. In other words， Thanksgiving kicks off the Christmas holiday season. If you are lucky， you can get lots of consumer goods at very low prices. （For more about Black Friday， please refer to the November 2011 issue.）

Anyway， Thanksgiving is a great holiday for every American to look forward to—I even think it is more important than Christmas for American families to get together.