To most Americans， the pilgrims注1 of Plymouth， Massachusetts are the iconic[標(biāo)志性的] inspiration[靈感] for todays Thanksgiving feast[節(jié)日，盛宴].

After the winter of 1620 killed almost half of their people， the colonists[殖民者] formed a relationship with the neighboring Wampanoag tribe[部落]， who taught them about fishing， planting， and hunting.

By autumn of 1621， the colonists had collected enough food to feed the community through the coming winter. The Wampanoags joined the colonists for a three-day feast in honor of their bounty[慷慨]. The feast probably did not include our modern Thanksgiving staple[主食]， turkey. More likely， the colonists and Wampanoags dined[進(jìn)餐] on roast goose along with corn， codfish[鱈魚] and lobster. This 1621 harvest meal is now commonly thought of as the first Thanksgiving.

Yet， for later generations of colonists， New England days of Thanksgiving had little to do with the 1621 harvest festival. Theirs was a religious[宗教的]holiday descended[繼承] from Puritan[清教徒] days of fasting[禁食]， prayer and giving thanks to God. Every autumn the Governor of each colony would declare days of Thanksgiving for bountiful[豐富的] harvests， victorious[勝利的] battles， or drought-ending rains.

In 1777， the Continental Congress注2 decreed[頒布] that all 13 of Americas colonies celebrate[慶祝] a national day of thanksgiving that year in celebration of their victory over the British at Saratoga.

By the mid-19th century many states celebrated the holiday， however the date could vary by weeks or even months. A determined magazine editor named Sarah Josepha Hale set about establishing a national Thanksgiving Day. She passionately[充滿熱情地] believed that such a day would help unite a nation headed towards civil war[美國內(nèi)戰(zhàn)]. Hale began a one-woman letter-writing campaign[（政治或商業(yè)性）活動]， urging[催促] politicians to establish an annual[一年一次的] day of Thanksgiving. Her efforts were finally rewarded by Abraham Lincoln， who saw the unifying potential[潛力] of the holiday. In 1863， four months after the victory at Gettysburg， he declared the last Thursday of November to be Thanksgiving Day.

By the 20th century， Thanksgiving was a welcome day of leisure[閑暇] from a six-day work week. In the 1920s， the National Football League was formed. In an effort to boost[推進(jìn)] attendance[出席人數(shù)]， the fledgling[年輕或無經(jīng)驗] Detroit Lions devised[想出（辦法）] the concept of a Thanksgiving Day game.

Parades[游行] also became a “turkey day”tradition， and department stores quickly saw their value as a kick-off[啟動] to the Christmas shopping season. The Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1924， and year after year millions of New Yorkers brave the cold to watch the festivities[慶典].

Most of all， Thanksgiving is about family. With modern life moving faster than ever， Thanksgiving gives us a day to take a collective breath， reconnect with loved ones， and remember just how much we have to be thankful for.

對大多數(shù)美國人來說，當(dāng)年（美國）馬薩諸塞州普利茅斯市的（英國）清教徒們對今天的感恩節(jié)大餐有著標(biāo)志性的影響。

1620年的那個冬天死了近半數(shù)殖民者，他們隨后與附近的萬帕諾亞格部落建立起（合作）關(guān)系，部落里的人教他們?nèi)绾尾遏~、種植以及打獵。

到了1621年的秋天，殖民者們已經(jīng)收集到足夠多的食物，足以在接下來的冬天喂飽整個群體。為了感謝萬帕諾亞格人的慷慨，殖民者與萬帕諾亞格人一起舉行了為期三天的聚餐大會。這場大餐中并沒有出現(xiàn)我們今天的感恩節(jié)主食——火雞。殖民者與萬帕諾亞格人的食物更有可能是烤鵝，以及玉米、鱈魚和龍蝦。如今，人們普遍認(rèn)為1621年的這次豐收大餐正是第一個感恩節(jié)。

不過，對于隨后幾代殖民者來說，新英格蘭的感恩節(jié)與1621年的豐收節(jié)并沒有太大關(guān)系。他們的感恩節(jié)是一個宗教節(jié)日，傳承自清教徒時期的齋戒、禱告，以及對上帝的感恩。每年秋天，各個殖民地的總督都會為慶祝大豐收、打勝仗，又或是久旱逢甘霖等宣布舉行感恩節(jié)。

1777年，（美國）大陸會議頒布法令，13個美國殖民地這年要一起舉行一個全國性的感恩節(jié)，以慶祝他們在薩拉托加大敗英軍。

到了19世紀(jì)中期，盡管許多州都會慶祝這個節(jié)日，但慶祝的日期可能相差好幾周甚至好幾個月。雜志編輯薩拉·約瑟法·哈勒決心著手籌備一個全國性的感恩節(jié)。充滿熱情的她相信這樣一個節(jié)日能夠?qū)⒁粋€國家團(tuán)結(jié)起來，共同面對內(nèi)戰(zhàn)。哈勒開始了拉票活動，一個人不斷寫信，催促政治家們將每年的某一天設(shè)為感恩節(jié)。她的努力最終得到了亞伯拉罕·林肯的認(rèn)可——他看到了這個節(jié)日對促進(jìn)國家統(tǒng)一的潛在可能性。1863年，在葛底斯堡大捷的四個月后，林肯宣布將11月的最后一個星期四定為感恩節(jié)。

到了20世紀(jì)，對于一周要工作六天（的人）來說，感恩節(jié)成了極受歡迎的休息日。美國國家橄欖球聯(lián)盟在上世紀(jì)20年代正式成立。為了增加上座率，初出茅廬的底特律雄獅隊想出了一個點子：感恩節(jié)橄欖球賽。

大游行同樣成了“火雞節(jié)”的傳統(tǒng)之一，而百貨商店業(yè)馬上就看出了這些游行活動的價值所在——圣誕購物季的開始?！懊肺鞲卸鞴?jié)大游行”始創(chuàng)于1924年。在隨后的每一年，數(shù)以百萬計的紐約人無懼寒意，紛紛前來觀看慶典。

最重要的是，感恩節(jié)的主旨是家庭。在比過去任何年代都要快節(jié)奏的現(xiàn)代生活中，感恩節(jié)讓我們有這么一天可以一起放松下來，與親人暢懷重聚，回想值得我們好好感恩的人和事。