感恩简史-美国感恩节由来考.docVIP

感恩简史:美国感恩节由来考 　　To most Americans， the pilgrims注1 of Plymouth， Massachusetts are the iconic[标志性的] inspiration[灵感] for todays Thanksgiving feast[节日，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[进餐] on roast goose along with corn， codfish[鳕鱼] 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[继承] 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[丰富的] harvests， victorious[胜利的] battles， or drought-ending rains. In 1777， the Continental Congress注2 decreed[颁布] that all 13 of Americas colonies celebrate[庆祝] 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[充满热情地] believed that such a day would help unite a nation headed towards civil war[美国内战]. Hale began a one-woman letter-writing campaign[（政治或商业性）活动]， 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[潜力] of the holiday. In 1863， fou