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， 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[闲暇] from a six-day work week. In the 1920s， the National Football League was formed. In an effort to boost[推进] attendance[出席人数]， the fledgling[年轻或无经验] Detroit Lions devised[想出（办法）] 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[启动] 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[庆典].

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.

对大多数美国人来说，当年（美国）马萨诸塞州普利茅斯市的（英国）清教徒们对今天的感恩节大餐有着标志性的影响。

1620年的那个冬天死了近半数殖民者，他们随后与附近的万帕诺亚格部落建立起（合作）关系，部落里的人教他们如何捕鱼、种植以及打猎。

到了1621年的秋天，殖民者们已经收集到足够多的食物，足以在接下来的冬天喂饱整个群体。为了感谢万帕诺亚格人的慷慨，殖民者与万帕诺亚格人一起举行了为期三天的聚餐大会。这场大餐中并没有出现我们今天的感恩节主食——火鸡。殖民者与万帕诺亚格人的食物更有可能是烤鹅，以及玉米、鳕鱼和龙虾。如今，人们普遍认为1621年的这次丰收大餐正是第一个感恩节。

不过，对于随后几代殖民者来说，新英格兰的感恩节与1621年的丰收节并没有太大关系。他们的感恩节是一个宗教节日，传承自清教徒时期的斋戒、祷告，以及对上帝的感恩。每年秋天，各个殖民地的总督都会为庆祝大丰收、打胜仗，又或是久旱逢甘霖等宣布举行感恩节。

1777年，（美国）大陆会议颁布法令，13个美国殖民地这年要一起举行一个全国性的感恩节，以庆祝他们在萨拉托加大败英军。

到了19世纪中期，尽管许多州都会庆祝这个节日，但庆祝的日期可能相差好几周甚至好几个月。杂志编辑萨拉·约瑟法·哈勒决心着手筹备一个全国性的感恩节。充满热情的她相信这样一个节日能够将一个国家团结起来，共同面对内战。哈勒开始了拉票活动，一个人不断写信，催促政治家们将每年的某一天设为感恩节。她的努力最终得到了亚伯拉罕·林肯的认可——他看到了这个节日对促进国家统一的潜在可能性。1863年，在葛底斯堡大捷的四个月后，林肯宣布将11月的最后一个星期四定为感恩节。

到了20世纪，对于一周要工作六天（的人）来说，感恩节成了极受欢迎的休息日。美国国家橄榄球联盟在上世纪20年代正式成立。为了增加上座率，初出茅庐的底特律雄狮队想出了一个点子：感恩节橄榄球赛。

大游行同样成了“火鸡节”的传统之一，而百货商店业马上就看出了这些游行活动的价值所在——圣诞购物季的开始。“梅西感恩节大游行”始创于1924年。在随后的每一年，数以百万计的纽约人无惧寒意，纷纷前来观看庆典。

最重要的是，感恩节的主旨是家庭。在比过去任何年代都要快节奏的现代生活中，感恩节让我们有这么一天可以一起放松下来，与亲人畅怀重聚，回想值得我们好好感恩的人和事。