美國的三大節日之一---感恩節 Thanksgiving Day

感恩節的由來:


在美國Thanksgiving Day是與Christmast以及Independence Day並列三大節日，但為什麼會有Thanksgiving Day?話說在西元1620年，有一艘名為Mayflower的船載著一批來自英國的清教徒(Pilgrim)，來到美洲大陸(America)的普利茅斯(Plymouth)，他們因此又稱為普利茅斯殖民( the Plymouth colonists)，當時這些清教徒來到陌生的環境加上氣候寒泠，飢寒交迫，因此有許多人生病而喪生，隔年的春天，有一位名叫Samoset的印地安人(Indian)，也就是在美洲的原住民(Native American)，來到清教徒們居住的地方，教導他們種植作物(corn, pumpkin, pea)、製作肥料、打獵等等，也因此，清教徒們與印地安人建立了很好的友誼。1621年的秋天，清教徒們享受到了第一次的豐收，為了慶祝這次的豐收，他們邀請了印地安朋友們一起分享他們的喜悅，並且感謝他們的幫助。這就是第一次的感恩節。
後來，跟著歷史的發展，感恩節的意義也逐漸擴大到感謝讓美國獨立的同胞們。1789年華盛頓總統(President Washington)宣佈，11月26日星期四為感恩節為美國正式節日。而在 1863 年林肯總統(President Lincoln)，則改宣布每年十一月最後一個星期四為感恩節假期。


 讀讀看: 英文版的感恩節由來

The History and Origin of Thanksgiving Day

By Beverly Hernandez, About.com Guide

In 1620, a boat filled with more than one hundred people sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the New World. This religious group had begun to question the beliefs of the Church of England and they wanted to separate from it. The Pilgrims settled in what is now the state of Massachusetts. Their first winter in the New World was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow many crops, and without fresh food, half the colony died from disease. The following spring the Iroquois Indians taught them how to grow corn (maize), a new food for the colonists. They showed them other crops to grow in the unfamiliar soil and how to hunt and fish.


In the autumn of 1621, bountiful crops of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins were harvested. The colonists had much to be thankful for, so a feast was planned. They invited the local Indian chief and90 Indians. The Indians brought deer to roast with the turkeys and other wild game offered by the colonists. The colonists had learned how to cook cranberries and different kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. To this first Thanksgiving, the Indians had even brought popcorn.


In following years, many of the original colonists celebrated the autumn harvest with a feast of thanks. After the United States became an independent country, Congress recommended one yearly day of thanksgiving for the whole nation to celebrate. George Washington suggested the date November 26 as Thanksgiving Day. Then in 1863, at the end of a long and bloody civil war, Abraham Lincoln asked all Americans to set aside the last Thursday in November as a day of thanksgiving.


本篇英文出處: About.Com