感恩节的由来(the story of american thanksgiving)
     thanksgiving day is an american holiday and not celebrated in continental europe. on the fourth thursday of each november, families and friends gather together for the occasion to celebrate with a traditional turkey dinner, usually in the mid-afternoon. thanksgiving originated as a celebration of the year`s harvest and is similar to the mid-autumn festival in china. www•
     the origin of the thanksgiving day
     this american tradition started in 1621 before the united states of america was established. it was a huge celebration for a hard-earned harvest the first year after arriving in the new world.
     on september 6, 1620, the mayflower ship set sail from plymouth, devon, england, taking all the english pilgrims （清教徒）to the new world. the english pilgrims numbered about a hundred people, and left england to escape religious persecution. their voyage to the new world was financed by merchant adventurers, an english investor group.
     the pilgrims sailed sixty-six days, arrived in the new world in november of the same year. they first settled in a cornfield abandoned by native indians and named it plymouth plantation.
     they worked on the land with much difficulty and were beset by a devastating plague in which half of the pilgrim died in the long winter of 1620. in the spring of 1621, an indian brave named squanto and her wampanoag （瓦帕浓人，北美印第安人阿尔琴族一部落）tribe came to their help. the tribe taught the pilgrims how to work the earth and plant corn, beans, pumpkins, squash and other crops.
     the thanksgiving feast in 1621