ajuccw 2007-4-18 17:16
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Thanksgiving Day
[size=12px]Thanksgiving Day comes on the fourth Thursday in November. Every year, the president writes a letter to the people. He writes that the fourth Thursday in November will be a national holiday. All the stores, banks, schools and offices close. The people can spend Thanksgiving Day with their families.
When the Pilgrims landed in 1620 near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, their first year was very hard. The winter was much colder than they were used to and many people died. Fortunately, the Indians were friendly to them. They showed them how to plant corn and helped them with fishing and trapping.
Conditions began to improve in the spring of 1621. the Pilgrims planted a large crop and in the fall, they had a good harvest. Besides, there were a lot of wild vegetables and fruits. Fish and game were plentiful. Therefore, they were able to get enough fresh meat despite their lack of skill or experience in hunting and fishing. Their health improved with the warm weather and their better diet.
In the fall, they looked over the past year and were both regretful and thankful. Only fifty of the original one hundred passengers remained. The price in human lives and the tragedy had been great. On the other hand, they saw new hope for the future. They were happy and thankful. They knew they had enough food for the second winter with the splendid harvest. They had eleven crude houses for protection against the severe winter. Seven were for families, and four for communal use. The Pilgrims wanted to celebrate the end of their first year in their new home with a real holiday. Governor Bradford decided on December 13,1621, as the day of giving thanks to God.
The Pilgrims fired a gun at dawn on that first Thanksgiving. Afterwards they moved to the meeting-house in a procession and had a church service of thanksgiving. After that, they set ling tables outdoors. A great feast and three days of celebration began. They invited their Indian friends, who brought with them deer meat, pop-corn, turkeys, many kinds of vegetables, and especially pumpkins, which are today both food and decoration for almost every Thanksgiving table.
On the whole, it was a wonderful holiday for the Pilgrims after their winter of starvation and tragedy. However, they paid for this luxury during the following winter. There was little food for anyone, and they did not have a thanksgiving feast until the next fall.
In the following decades, Thanksgiving Days were frequently held, sometimes twice a year, sometimes every other year, depending on the circumstances.
President George Washington proclaimed a Thanksgiving Day in 1789 as an expression of gratitude for the establishment of the new government. Other presidents proclaimed such days for various reasons.
On October 3, 1863, it was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln as a national holiday to be observed on the last Thursday in November. At that time, the country was in the middle of a bitter civil war. The states were under no obligation to accept the proclamation, but many of them cooperated. Each president since Lincoln has proclaimed a Thanksgiving Day for the nation as a whole. In 1939 President F.D. Roosevelt moved the day to the third Thursday in November to stimulate business activities by separating it more widely from Christmas. In 1941 he moved it forward again to the fourth Thursday and conceded that there had been no rise in holiday buying.
Thanksgiving has hardly changed at all since 1621 in its intention and manner of celebration. Thanksgiving is a family holiday, for it is customary for all members of the family to gather at the home of the father and mother. All over the country, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren travel from city to town, from town to village, or from village to farm to spend the day at their old homes. Many speak to their parents or grandchildren by long distance telephone.
The family eats a large traditional dinner which is practically the same all over the country, no matter whether it is in the South or North. The table is always loaded with many different kinds of delicious food. Naturally, the main course is the turkey. Pumpkin pie is often served in remembrance of the Indians’ gift to the first settlers. In most homes, there are traditional games after dinner. Many people go to football games. The churches hold thanksgiving services. Thanksgiving is a chance to renew friendship. Above all, Thanksgiving Day is a time for remembrance and for giving thanks.[/size]
wenjklo 2007-4-21 17:32
嘿嘿
我对英文一窍不通，进来看了一下，不能给你打分了，等待下一个吧