By Nancy
Sarah: All right class, today I invited my friend Michael to talk to us about the ABC’s of Thanksgiving in the US. Our first question is: When is Thanksgiving?
Michael: Thanks Sarah for inviting me. The date of Thanksgiving changes every year. However, it is always on a Thursday. Specifically, it is always on the fourth Thursday of November, so this year it is on Thursday November 24th.
Sarah: Right on! That’s this coming Thursday. Our next question is: What is Thanksgiving all about?
Michael: The short answer is that Thanksgiving is a holiday that began in 1621. In that year, a group of people from England who had traveled to America were having a very difficult time getting accustomed to their new country. There was a group of Native Americans who helped the English people plant food and survive the difficult winter, so they decided to have a large dinner to give thanks to their Native American friends, and to celebrate that they were still alive.
Sarah: Ah thanks for the historic background of Thanksgiving. What about now?
Michael: I think that the main reason that people still celebrate this holiday today is because it is a heartwarming time when you can get together with your friends or family to have fun and eat a delicious meal. Plus it is a great excuse for a party!
Sarah: Cool! OK next question: Who Celebrates Thanksgiving?
Michael: Most people in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is generally considered to be secular, which means that it is not associated with any specific religion or church. Many people do say prayers at Thanksgiving dinner, of course, but anyone can participate in Thanksgiving. Finally, there is also a holiday called Thanksgiving in Canada, but it is celebrated in October and its history is completely different from the American celebration of Thanksgiving.
Sarah: Our final question: What is a typical Thanksgiving dinner like?
Michael: A traditional Thanksgiving dinner consists of roast turkey, turkey stuffing with onions and celery, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.
Thanksgiving 这个节日是在收获的季节，庆祝它还含有对上帝的护佑和自然的馈赠的感恩。一个很典型的 Thanksgiving 的装饰物就是一个形似弯弯山羊角的 Harvest Horn （又称 Cornucopia，拉丁文的原意是 a horn of plenty） ，里面盛满了属于这个季节的各种谷物、瓜果、花与叶，象征着丰收和富足（或是对其的向往）。
Thanksgiving is the American holiday that most resembles Chinese New Year. The main event is of course the Thanksgiving dinner.
For many years, we went to a particularly close American friend for Thanksgiving dinner. The grandpa of the family came from North Carolina for the same occasion. We always brought home-made spring rolls for the feast. In the mornings of the Thanksgiving day, when the turkey is being roasted in the oven, grandpa always asked “Is the gentleman with the spring rolls here yet?”
北美三宝：点心、炒面、春卷条。木哈哈。
Too true. Though we didn’t bring “egg rolls”, but 自认为满地道的春卷