第一个感恩节的由来

第一个感恩节的由来

When we think of Thanksgiving today, images of football, pumpkin pie, parades, and turkey dinner complete with cranberry sauce come to mind, as well as plans for a Black Friday shopping spree the following day.

在今天我们一想到感恩节就会联想起球赛、南瓜饼、游行、火鸡大餐、以及餐后的甜点蔓越莓酱，也会联想到在之后的“黑色星期五”里疯狂购物的景象。

Of course none of these items were present back in 1621, when the Wampanoag people and the Pilgrims sat down together to give thanks for nature’s bounty. Although the celebrants at this particular meal didn’t even call it “Thanksgiving”, this particular harvest feast is the one after which we model our modern-day Thanksgiving celebrations.

但这一切在1621年都不存在，那时印第安土著和刚踏上北美土地的英国清教徒们坐在一起，只为感激自然无私的赐予，那时他们就是吃顿饭，都没有“感恩节大餐”的名字，这个名字是现代为了庆祝感恩节活动后取的。

People of both cultures had been giving thanks for the fall harvest and other gifts of nature for many centuries. It is interesting to note that the religious element, giving thanks to God, was not present at this particular celebration in 1621, even though the Pilgrims were devoutly religious. In fact, some early Pilgrim "thanksgiving days" were actually fasts rather than feasts. Imagine that!

印第安土著和英国清教徒们文化、信仰不同，他们在一起庆祝是为了感谢大自然无私地赐予他们丰收和食物。有趣的是，尽管英国的清教徒们是很虔诚的信徒，但在1621年的感恩庆祝活动中他们只是感谢自然，而非感谢上帝他老人家。另外，早期的感恩节中，有的清教徒不仅没有大吃一顿，相反是在斋节中度过的。

However, the Native Americans had their own religious customs and beliefs. As a result, during this "first" Thanksgiving, Pilgrims and Native Americans did not focus on what was different between them, but instead concentrated on what they all shared. The two groups of people worked side by side to hunt and prepare food as equals and friends. Their friendship and

cooperation was yet another thing for which to be thankful. Other feasts such as this one took place throughout the New World, where settlers and Native Americans worked together and celebrated together as one.

尽管印第安土著们有他们自己的宗教传统和信仰，但在1621年那第一个感恩节上，无论是印第安土著还是英国清教徒，他们都没有强调自己的文化传统，着眼双方的差异，相反他们关注共享的自然和大地，求同存异共同奋进。这两拨人不分彼此，一起打猎，一起准备食物，处的就像朋友一样。如同感激自然的赐予一样，他们的友谊与合作也是值得赞美的，于是随着拓荒者和印第安土著的逐步融合、共同劳作，这项感恩的传统就在北美新大陆上逐步传播开来了，每年大家都聚在一起感激自然的赐予和所有人亲密无间的合作。

When we sit down to our Thanksgiving dinner, we honor a piece of early American history. The story of the Pilgrims and Native Americans serve as a good reminder for all of us to be thankful for what we have--no matter how much or how little.

当我们坐在感恩节餐桌前的时候，我们感念和赞颂早期美洲拓荒史，印第安土著和英国清教徒之间的故事提醒着我

们，无论我们拥有的是多还是少，我们都应该感激自然的赐予和朋友的友谊。