在美国人的心目中，感恩节的重要性仅次于圣诞节。这是一个感恩的日子，人们按习俗前往教堂做感恩祈祷;这是一个团圆的日子，身处天南地北的人们聚到一起分享火鸡。

　　history

　　traditionally, thanksgiving is a time "to give thanks" for a plentiful harvest, because it is celebrated on the last thursday of november at the end of the harvest season。

　　however, the history of thanksgiving is not clear, because the harvest season is celebrated in many countries and cultures. americans commonly celebrate the first harvest of the "pilgrims", or the first colonists to settle in north america, in 1621.

　　many colonists came to the new world for religious freedom, because england did not allow diversity in religion.

　　native americans and colonists did not always live together peacefully, but they did learn from each other by trading goods and farming methods. so many people celebrate the first successful harvest of the colonists。

　　thankfulness

　　traditionally, thanksgiving is a religious holiday, as a time to give thanks to god for the blessings in one's life. people can be thankful for things like their good health, the safety of their families, or having good friends. all of these things are called "blessings", or things that god has given us。

　　for americans who are not religious, thankfulness is just a feeling of gratitude. it is easy to forget how lucky we are, so thanksgiving is a time to be reminded of the priceless things in our lives. many families talk about what they are thankful for as they are sitting around the dinner table before they start the meal。

　　family

　　thanksgiving is usually celebrated by getting together with lots of family, including grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. the meal is held in one family's home, and it is common for guests to bring drinks, snacks and desserts.

　　because thanksgiving is close to christmas, families can spend one holiday with the mother's family and the other holiday with the father's family. university students can invite boyfriends, girlfriends or friends whose families live too far away to come home with them for the holiday。

　　food

　　the first image that comes to mind when people think about thanksgiving is a big, fat turkey. turkeys are indeed enormous; the average thanksgiving turkey is 15 pounds, or 6.8 kilograms. (this means that people have to eat turkey sandwiches for weeks after thanksgiving!)

　　the meal, often held in the late afternoon, also includes mashed potatoes with gravy, bread rolls, stuffing (which can be cooked inside the turkey)， cranberry sauce, sweet corn, and other seasonal vegetables like sweet potato and green beans.

　　for dessert, pumpkin pie is most popular, although many families enjoy other kinds of pie as well, such as apple pie, pecan pie or blueberry pie。

　　activities

　　after the meal, families relax and spend time together, sometimes watching american football games or thanksgiving day parades on television. thanksgiving is also a time to volunteer or donate your time and money to charities.

　　as people reflect on the blessings in their lives, they are inspired to help those who may be going through difficult times. many churches and community organizations hold free dinners where people volunteer to buy, cook and serve the food.

　　people also organize "food drives" where canned and packaged food is donated, collected and given to those in need. also, companies and organizations can hold charity events, where employees, friends and families can pay to attend a dinner or dance and all of the money is donated to a charity。

　　【感恩节美文】

　　◆ 珍惜你所拥有的一切

　　In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.

　　Bertrand Russell (1872-1970); Philosopher, Mathematician

　　无论对于什么事情，我们都应该时常问问自己，那些我们长久以来想当然的东西真的理所应当吗。

　　We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.

　　Fredrick Koeing

　　我们几乎快要忘了，快乐并不在于得到了没有的东西，而在于知道自己拥有什么，并心存感激。

　　Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies.

　　Erich Seligmann Fromm (1900-1980); Social Psychologist

　　谁能说，一个充满爱的幸福时刻，或者在一个明媚的早晨散步、呼吸新鲜的空气所获得的快乐，就不值得用生命中的一切痛苦和努力去换取呢。

　　Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes of which all men have some.

　　Charles Dickens (1812-1870); Novelist

　　思考当下的福祉，而非过去的不幸。福祉，每个人都有很多;不幸，每个人都有一点。

　　◆ 感恩让生活如此美好

　　To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.

　　Johannes A. Gaertner (1912-1996); Art History Professor, Theologian, Poet

　　感恩于言是礼貌又令人愉悦的，感恩于行是慷慨又高尚的，而若能怀着一颗感之心去生活，那便是触到了天堂。

　　I still miss those I loved who are no longer with me but I find I am grateful for having loved them. The gratitude has finally conquered the loss.

　　Rita Mae Brown (born 1944); Writer

　　我依然很想念那些我曾经爱过但已不在身边的人，但是我感谢命里爱过他们。感恩之心最终战胜了丧失之痛。

　　In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but the gratefulness that makes us happy.

　　Albert Clarke

　　在日常生活中，我们必须明白，我们不是因为快乐而感恩，而是因为感恩而快乐。

　　Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

　　Melodie Beattie - Motivational Author

　　感恩，会为你开启充实生活之门，使我们原本拥有的东西变得更多更充裕。它使抗拒变为接受，紊乱变为有序，困惑变为明晰。它让简单的饭菜成为盛宴，一个房间成为家庭，一个陌生人成为朋友。感恩，赋予过去以意义，赋予当下以平静，赋予未来以憧憬。

　　◆ 别忘了说一句感谢

　　The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.

　　William James (1842-1910); Psychologist, Philosopher, Author

　　人类本性中最深切的渴求就是被他人赞赏。

　　When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them.

　　Chinese Proverb

　　喝水不忘挖井人。

　　If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.

　　Meister Eckhart [Johannes Eckhart] (1260-1328); Theologian, Mystic

　　如果你一生中唯一说过的祈祷是“谢谢”，那已经足够。

　　Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

　　Marcel Proust (1871-1922); Novelist

　　让我们对带给自己快乐的人表示感激，他们就像可爱的园丁，让我们的灵魂之花尽情绽放。

　　Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.

　　Henri-Frederic Amiel (1821-1881); Philosopher, Poet, Critic

　　感谢是感恩的开始，感恩是感谢的升华。感谢可能止于言语，感恩却要付诸行动。