Celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November every year, Nov 28 this year, Thanksgiving Day is a time for communal thanksgiving and lavish feasts. It’s about expressing your gratitude to the important people and all the good things in your life.

每年11月的第四個星期四是感恩節(jié)，今年是11月28日。感恩節(jié)是一個全民感恩、享用盛宴的時刻。在這一天，你要向生命中最重要的人、最美好的事物表達感恩之情。

Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with much fervor and maintain many traditional customs. Here we introduce a few of the rituals Americans typically follow on this day.

美國人十分看重感恩節(jié)，并傳承了許多傳統(tǒng)風(fēng)俗。下面，就來為大家介紹一些美國人慶祝感恩節(jié)的傳統(tǒng)風(fēng)俗。

Time for prayers and paying back

祝福與感恩的時刻

Thanksgiving Day has been associated with communal prayers in church and in homes for centuries. Attending church prayer services in the morning is the first step of many celebrators on Thanksgiving Day. The churches provide worship services and organize special events for the occasion.

數(shù)百年來，每到感恩節(jié)人們都會聚集在教堂或家里祈禱。早晨去教堂參加禱告儀式是許多人慶祝感恩節(jié)的第一個節(jié)目。教堂會舉行禮拜儀式并組織感恩節(jié)特別活動。

Before Thanksgiving meals, some families gather together and read prayers to thank God for his kindness and the gifts he has bestowed upon them in the form of friends and family.

在享用感恩節(jié)大餐前，有的家庭會齊聚一堂向上帝禱告，感謝它的仁慈，感謝它恩賜給我們家人與朋友。

Some people also do voluntary community work on this day, as a way of paying back.

還有一些人選擇在這一天去做社區(qū)義工，以示感恩。

Family reunions and showing gratitude

團圓與感恩

Like China’s Spring Festival, preparing a big meal and bringing the family together at home is a long-standing tradition of Thanksgiving. Distances don’t really matter as relatives return home to be with their family, no matter how far away.

和中國的春節(jié)一樣，準備大餐和舉家團聚是感恩節(jié)的悠久傳統(tǒng)。距離不是問題，無論多遠，親人們都會趕回家與家人團聚。

Undoubtedly, turkey is the main course of Thanksgiving dinner. Though there is no evidence to prove that turkey was eaten during the first Thanksgiving dinner, most agree that the dinner would be incomplete without it. A survey conducted by the US’ National Turkey Federation in 2012 shows that 91 percent of Americans eat turkey and more than 306 million kilograms of turkey are consumed on Thanksgiving Day.

毫無疑問，火雞是這頓節(jié)日大餐的重頭戲。盡管尚無證據(jù)表明第一頓感恩節(jié)的餐桌上是否有火雞的蹤影，但大多數(shù)人都贊同沒有火雞的感恩節(jié)大餐是不完整的。根據(jù)美國國家火雞聯(lián)盟2012年的調(diào)查數(shù)據(jù)顯示，在感恩節(jié)這一天，91%的美國家庭都會享用火雞，總量超過3.06億公斤。

Other dishes typically found on dinner tables in almost every house are pumpkin pies, corn, fall vegetables, olives, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mashed potatoes. At the meal, many families observe the ritual of taking turns to express what each member is thankful for.

家家戶戶餐桌上常見的菜品還有南瓜派、玉米、秋季時令蔬菜、橄欖、蔓越莓果醬、火雞填料和土豆泥。餐桌上，很多家庭會遵守一項慣例：輪流向每位家庭成員表達感謝。