Symbols of Thanksgiving

◎供稿：羅宇軒

Turkey, corn,1)pumpkinsand cranberry sauce are symbols which represent the first Thanksgiving. Now all of these symbols are drawn on holiday decorations and greeting cards. The use of corn meant the survival of the colonies. “Indian corn” as a table or door decoration represents the harvest and the fall season.

Sweet-sour cranberry sauce, or cranberry jelly, was on the first Thanksgiving table and is still served today. The cranberry is a small,sour berry. It grows in2)bogs, or muddy areas, in Massachusetts and other New England states. The Indians used the fruit to treat infections.They used the juice to dye their rugs and blankets. They taught the colonists how to cook the berries with3)sweetenerand water to make a sauce. The Indians called it “ibimi” which means “bitter berry.” When the colonists saw it, they named it “crane-berry” because the flowers of the berry bent the stalk over, and it resembled the long-necked bird called a crane. The berries are still grown in New England.

In 1988, a Thanksgiving ceremony of a different kind took place at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. More than four thousand people gathered on Thanksgiving night. Among them were Native Americans representing tribes from all over the country and descendants of people whose ancestors had migrated to the New World.

The ceremony was a public acknowledgment of the Indians' role in the first Thanksgiving 350 years ago. Until recently most schoolchildren believed that the Pilgrims cooked the entire Thanksgiving feast, and offered it to the Indians. In fact, the feast was planned to thank the Indians for teaching them how to cook those foods. Without the Indians, the first settlers would not have survived.

Thanksgiving is a time for tradition and sharing. Even if they live far away,family members gather for a reunion at the house of an older relative. All give thanks together for the good things that they have.

In this spirit of sharing, civic groups and charitable organizations offer a traditional meal to those in need, particularly the homeless. On most tables throughout the United States, foods eaten at the first thanksgiving have become traditional.

1) pumpkins ['p?mpkinz] n. 南瓜 2) bogs [b?ɡ] n.沼澤 3) sweetener [swi:tn?(r)] n. 甜味佐料

火雞、玉米、南瓜和蔓越莓醬是第一個感恩節的象征。現在所有這些符號都畫在節日裝飾和賀卡上。玉米的使用意味著殖民地的生存。“印第安玉米”作為餐桌或門的裝飾，代表著收獲和秋天的季節。

在第一個感恩節餐桌上出現的酸甜蔓越莓醬或蔓越莓果凍今天仍然供應。蔓越莓是一種小而酸的漿果。它生長在馬薩諸塞州和新英格蘭地區其他州的沼澤地或泥濘地區。印第安人用水果來治療感染。他們用果汁染地毯和毯子。他們教殖民者如何用甜味劑和水煮漿果來制作醬汁。印第安人稱之為“ibimi”，意思是“苦漿果”。當殖民者看到它時，他們稱之為“鶴漿果”，因為漿果的花把莖折彎了，很像長頸的鶴。這些漿果仍然生長在新英格蘭地區。

1988，在圣約翰大教堂舉行了一個不同尋常的感恩節儀式。超過四千人在感恩節之夜聚集。其中有代表來自全國各地的部落和祖先移居新大陸的人的后裔的美洲土著人。

這一儀式是公眾對印第安人在350年前第一次感恩節中的作用的公開承認。直到最近，大多數小學生還相信清教徒烹飪了整個感恩節大餐，并把它獻給了印第安人。事實上，宴會的目的是感謝印第安人教他們如何烹調那些食物。沒有印第安人，第一批定居者就不會幸存下來。

感恩節是一個傳統和分享的時節。即使他們住在很遠的地方，家人也會聚集在一個長輩家里團聚。所有人都要感謝他們所擁有的美好事物。

本著這種分享的精神，民間團體和慈善組織為那些有需要的人，特別是無家可歸的人們提供傳統食物。在美國的大多數餐桌上，吃第一次感恩節吃的食物已經變成了傳統。