Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November。Thanksgiving Day is the most truly American Festival of the national holidays in the United States and is most closely connected with the earliest history of the country。
In 1620，the Pilgrims sailed to America on the May flower，seeking a place where they could have freedom of worship。After a tempestuous two-month voyage they landed what is now Plymouth，Massachusetts on icy November day。
During their first winter，over half of the settlers died of starvation or epidemics。Those who survived began sowing in the first spring。All summer long they waited for the harvests with great anxiety，knowing that their lives and the future existence of the colony depended on the coming harvest。Finally the fields produced a yield rich beyond expectations。And therefore it was decided that a day of thanksgiving to the Lord be fixed。Years later，the President of the United States proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day every year。The celebration of Thanksgiving Day has been observed on that date until today。
The pattern of the Thanksgiving celebration has never changed through the years。The big family dinner is planned months ahead。On the dinner table，people will find apples，oranges，chestnuts，walnuts and grapes。There will be plum pudding，mince pie，other varieties of food and cranberry juice and squash。The best and most attractive among them are roast turkey and pumpkin pie。They have been the most traditional and favorite food on Thanksgiving Day throughout the years。
Everyone agrees the dinner must be built around roast turkey stuffed with bread dressing to absorb the tasty juices as it roasts。But as cooking varies with families and with the regions where one lives，it is not easy to get a consensus on the precise kind of stuffing for the royal bird。
Thanksgiving today is，in every sense，a national annual holiday on which Americans of all faiths and backgrounds join to express their thanks for the year's bounty and reverently ask for continued blessings。
Thanksgiving Fare
Of all the Thanksgiving symbols，the Turkey has become the most well known。The turkey has brown features with buff colored feathers on the tips of the wing and on the tail。The male turkey is called a Tom and，as with most birds，is bigger and has brighter and more colorful plumage。The female is called a Hen and is generally smaller and drab in color。
The turkey was originally domesticated in Mexico，and was brought to Europe early in the 16th century。Since then，turkeys have been extensively raised because of the excellent quality of their meat and eggs。Some of the common breeds of turkey in the United States are the Bronze，Narragansett，White Holland，and Bourbon Red。
Today there is such a large variety of food to choose from that a Thanksgiving Dinner can feature almost any main course。True，the traditional turkey is still the meat of choice，yet goose，duck，ham，even some of the sea's harvests can be used。In sweet potatoes，peas，rice dishes，greens，and even more exotic vegetables all make their way to this celebration of Thanksgiving and harvest。
The key to a Thanksgiving menu is to choose foods that will represent the idea of giving thanks for a good year and a harvesting of good fortune。
Thanksgiving Day Parades
Thanksgiving Day Parades，though not specifically documented，probably got their start when President Lincoln proclaimed an official day of Thanksgiving。Given the Union achievements of the summer of 1863，it would have been logical that any official event declared by the President would have been accompanied by a show of military strength and discipline such as a full dress parade。Elaborate floats，musical shows and entertainment celebrities have replaced the parades of armed and uniformed men marching in cadence or to a military band，but the desired effect，to lift the spirits of the spectators，remains the goal。
11月的最后一个星期四是感恩节。感恩节是美国国定假日中最地道的美国式节日，而且和美国早期历史的联系最为密切。
1620年，一批清教徒乘坐“五月花”号漂洋过海，去寻求一个宗教自由的地方。他们在海上辗转颠簸了两个月之后，在酷寒的11月登上了陆地，登陆地位于现在的马萨诸塞州普利茅斯市。
在那里的第一个冬天，半数以上的移民都死于饥饿和传染病。活下来的人开始在第一个春季里播种。整个夏天他们都热切地盼望着丰收的到来，他们深知自己的生存以及殖民地在今后是否能扎根都取决于即将到来的收成。最终，庄稼获得了意外的大丰收，所以人们决定选一个日子来感谢上帝的恩赐。数年后，美国总统宣布每年11月的第四个星期四为感恩节。感恩节庆祝活动便定在这一天，这个习俗一直延续到今天。
感恩节的庆祝形式多年来从未改变。丰盛的家宴早在几个月之前就开始着手准备。人们在餐桌上可以吃到苹果、桔子、栗子、胡桃和葡萄。另外还备有葡萄干布丁、肉馅饼、各种其他食物以及红莓苔汁和鲜果汁。其中，最棒、最诱人的菜肴当属烤火鸡和南瓜馅饼。数年来，这些菜一直是感恩节中最传统、最受人们喜爱的食品。
人们一致认为，感恩节大餐必须以烤火鸡为主菜，而火鸡在烘烤时要以面包作填料以吸收在烘烤过程中流出来的美味汁液。但由于烹饪方法因家庭和地区的不同而各异，所以在究竟用什么做火鸡的填料上就难以求得一致。
今天的感恩节是一个不折不扣的国定假日，具有各种信仰和背景的美国人会在这一天对上苍表示感谢，虔诚地祈求上帝继续保佑他们。
感恩节食品
在感恩节的所有象征物中要数火鸡最出名了。火鸡全身长满棕色羽毛，而翼端和尾部的羽毛则呈现淡黄色。雄性的火鸡被称为Tom，像大多数雄性禽鸟一样，体型较大而且羽毛的颜色更加鲜亮丰富。雌性的火鸡被称为Hen，一般体型较小，颜色单一。
火鸡最早是在墨西哥进行人工饲养的，在16世纪早期的时候被带到了欧洲。从那以后，火鸡就因其高品质的肉和蛋，被广泛养殖。“Bronze”、“Narragansett”、“White Holland”和“Bourbon Red”是一些美国最常见的火鸡饲养品种。
现在可供挑选的食品如此之多，以至于感恩节晚宴几乎可以把任何一道菜作为主菜。可火鸡肯定还是肉菜的首选，而鹅肉、鸭肉、火腿，甚至是一些海产品也可以被选用。豌豆、饭食类、青菜，甚至很多异域蔬菜，都可以取代甘薯作为庆祝感恩节和丰收的食品。
在挑选感恩节大餐的食品时，关键是要看这些食物是否能表达对一年来的好运与丰收的感激之情。
感恩节游行
尽管没有明文记载，但大概从林肯总统正式宣布感恩节为法定节日起，感恩节游行活动便开始了。在1863年的夏天，联邦军队获得胜利后，似乎每个总统颁布的官方活动中，都有显示军队实力和纪律的阅兵式，例如盛装游行。尽管全副武装、身穿制服的军人和随着节奏或在军乐队伴奏下游行的活动已被精美的彩车、音乐表演以及娱乐界名人所替代，但是要令观众精神为之一振的初衷从未改变。
Tempestuous adj。暴风雨的
Epidemic n。流行病
Yield n。产量；收益
Observe vt。纪念；庆祝
Walnut n。胡桃；胡桃木
Dressing n。调味品；填料
Bounty n。施舍
Fare n。食物
Reverently adv。虔诚地
Plumage n。鸟类羽毛
Drab adj。单调的
Domesticate vt。饲养
Exotic adj。外来的
Elaborate adj。精心制作的
Cadence n。节奏
A：Have a nice Thanksgiving！
B：Same to you！
A：Are you going anywhere？
B：I thought about going to my sister's。How about you？
A：Oh，I'll probably just stay at home。
B：By the way，do you have any ideas about the origin of Tanksgiving？
A：It is the most truly American of the national holiday in the U。S。It is first celebrated in 1621 to thank the Indian and God to give them food。
B：Oh，so that is it。You have a wonderful knowledge about the history。