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Thanksgiving Day in America is a time to offer thanks, of family gatherings and holiday meals. A time of turkeys, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. A time for Indian corn, holiday parades and giant balloons.
在美國，感恩節是一個感謝恩賜，家庭團聚，合家歡宴的日子；是一個家家餐桌上都有火雞、填料、南瓜餡餅的日子；是一個充滿了印第安玉米、假日游行和巨型氣球的日子。
The Pilgrims who sailed to this country aboard the Mayflower were originally members of the English Separatist Church (a Puritan sect). They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland (The Netherlands) to escape religious persecution. There, they enjoyed more religious tolerance, but they eventually became disenchanted with the Dutch way of life, thinking it ungodly. Seeking a better life, the Separatists negotiated with a London stock company to finance a pilgrimage to America. Most of those making the trip aboard the Mayflower were non-Separatists, but were hired to protect the company's interests. Only about one-third of the original colonists were Separatists.
乘"五月花"來到這個國度的旅行者（朝圣者）原本是英國分離者地下教會清教徒，他們的家在英國，因不堪忍受國內的宗教迫害，他們逃亡到荷蘭。在荷蘭，他們享受了更多的宗教信仰自由，但最終卻意識到在荷蘭的這種生活方式是對他們的主的褻瀆。為了尋求更好的生活，他們與倫敦貿易公司協商，由該公司資助他們到美國。在這趟旅途中，船上只有大約1/3的乘客是清教徒，其他大多數人并非分離派清教徒，而是公司雇傭來保護其利益的人員（契約奴）。
The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast -- including 91 Indians who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives. The feast was more of a traditional English harvest festival than a true "thanksgiving" observance. It lasted three days.
1620年12月11日，旅行者們在"普利茅斯石"登陸。他們的第一個冬季是災難性的，第二年秋天來臨時，原來的102名乘客只剩下56人。但1621年他們獲得了大豐收，這些幸存的殖民者們決定和幫助他們度過困難的91名印第安人一起饗宴慶祝。他們相信，若沒有當地居民的幫助，他們是不可能度過這一年的。這次節日的盛宴不僅僅是一個"感恩"儀式，它更像英國傳統的豐收慶典。慶典持續了三天。
Governor William Bradford sent "four men fowling" after wild ducks and geese. It is not certain that wild turkey was part of their feast. However, it is certain that they had venison. The term "turkey" was used by the Pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl.
總督布雷德福派了“四人捕鳥隊”去捕捉野鴨和野鵝。我們現在并不能確定是否有野生火雞在當時的筵席上，但筵席上肯定有鹿肉。當時，朝圣者用 "火雞"一詞來代表各種野禽。
Another modern staple at almost every Thanksgiving table is pumpkin pie. But it is unlikely that the first feast included that treat. The supply of flour had been long diminished, so there was no bread or pastries of any kind. However, they did eat boiled pumpkin, and they produced a type of fried bread from their corn crop. There was also no milk, cider, potatoes, or butter. There was no domestic cattle for dairy products, and the newly-discovered potato was still considered by many Europeans to be poisonous. But the feast did include fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums.
現在，幾乎每家感恩節餐桌上都有南瓜餡餅――感恩節的另一種主食。但在當年的第一次慶典上卻不可能有這種食品。因為面粉奇缺，所以面包、餡餅、糕點等食物都沒有。但他們卻吃了煮南瓜，并用收獲的玉米制成了一種油炸面包。也沒有牛奶、蘋果酒、土豆和黃油。沒有馴養的奶牛，自然沒有牛奶；而新發現的土豆被很多歐洲人認為是有毒的。第一次慶典上有魚、草莓、豆瓣菜、龍蝦、干果、蛤、鹿肉、李子等。
