美式感恩節面面觀

When it comes to Thanksgiving， turkey may be the first thing that comes to mind. Its the right picture， but its not complete.

Celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November every year， Nov 27 this year， Thanksgiving Day is a time for communal thanksgiving and lavish feasts. Its about expressing your gratitude to the important people and all the good things in your life.

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：

提到感恩節，你首先會想到的可能是火雞。盡管火雞大餐是感恩節的重頭戲，但并不能全權代表這一節日。

每年11月的第四個星期四是感恩節，今年是11月27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。

美國人十分看重感恩節，并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.

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.

Some people also do voluntary community work on this day， as a way of paying back.

數百年來，每到感恩節人們都會聚集在教堂或家里祈禱。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并組織感恩節特別活動。

在享用感恩節大餐前，有的家庭會齊聚一堂向上帝禱告，感謝上帝的仁慈，感謝上帝恩賜給他們家人與朋友。

還有一些人選擇在這一天去做社區義工，以示感恩。

Family Reunions and Showing Gratitude 團圓與感恩

Like our Spring Festival， preparing a big meal and bringing the family together at home is a long-standing tradition of Thanksgiving. Distances dont really matter as relatives return home to be with their family， no matter how far away.

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.

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.

和我們的春節一樣，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。

毫無疑問，火雞是這頓節日大餐的重頭戲。盡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。

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 Yorks Thanksgiving Day Parade， which is currently called Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. Started in 1924， more than 2 million people attend the parade every year.

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.

團圓飯讓感恩節成為所有家庭的節日，而游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游行活動。其中規模最盛大的就要數紐約感恩節大游行，也就是現在人們口中的梅西感恩節大游行。它始于1924年，每年有超過200萬人參與其中。

這場游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。整場游行會以圣誕老人花車作為壓軸表演，以此非正式地宣告圣誕季的開始。

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）. Its referred to as the “Thanksgiving Classic”， and thousands of fans watch it with popcorn and chips in hand， either in stadiums or on television.

In 1863， a reporter jokingly said， “Thanksgiving is a holiday granted by the Nation to see a game of football.” Its absolutely true.

餐后習俗同節日大餐一樣重要，而橄欖球比賽便是餐后的一道最重要的“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年由于二戰中斷）。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前觀看這場比賽。

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 our 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.

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.

我們中國網民有“雙十一”購物狂潮，而美國人會在感恩節過后蜂擁到實體店血拼。感恩節之后的周五便是著名的“黑色星期五”了，這一天得名于會計用黑色墨水記錄盈利的傳統。

許多老板會在這一天給員工放假，作為感恩節周末假日的一部分。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。感恩節過后，人們一大早排長龍等待店鋪開門的場景隨處可見。