Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival. Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and expressgratitude in general. It is a holidaycelebrated primarily in Canada and the United States. While perhaps religious in origin, Thanksgiving is now primarily identified as a secular holiday.

The date and location of the first Thanksgiving celebration is a topic of modest contention. Though the earliest attested Thanksgiving celebration was on

September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida[1][2], the traditional "first Thanksgiving" is venerated as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621.

Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, usually as a gathering of family members and friends.

Thanksgiving Dayin America is a time to offer thanks, of family gatherings and holidaymeals. A time of turkeys, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. A time for Indian corn, holiday parades and giantballoons.

在美国，感恩节是一个感谢恩赐，家庭团聚，合家欢宴的日子；是一个家家餐桌上都有火鸡、填料、南瓜馅饼的日子；是一个充满了印第安玉米、假日游行和巨型气球的日子。

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November, which this year (2005) is November 24th.

每年十一月的最后一个星期四是感恩节，在今年（2005）则是11月24日。下面让我们来看看感恩节的由来吧：

The Pilgrims who sailed to this country aboard the Mayflower were originally members of the English Separatist Church (a Puritan sect). They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland (The Netherlands) to escape religious persecution. There, they enjoyed more religious tolerance, but they eventually became disenchantedwith the Dutch way of life, thinking it ungodly. Seeking a better life, the Separatists negotiated with a London stock company to finance a pilgrimage to America. Most of those making the trip aboard the Mayflower were non-Separatists, but were hired to protect the company's