感恩節相關小知識
1.1620年，一些清教徒乘坐“五月花”號船去美洲尋求宗教自由。他們全程航行了65天。由於該船是木製的，所以乘客們不能生火取暖或是煮飯。
Did you know that the Pilgrim trip to the New World aboard the Mayflower lasted 65 days? It was a cold and damp journey, and since the ship was wooden, passengers were not allowed to light a fire for warmth or for cooking their food.
2.在這110人中，半數以上的移民死於飢餓和傳染病，不過仍有一半的人活了下來。在第二年，一位名叫Squanto的印第安人在很大程度上幫助了他們獲得足夠的食物。
Did you know that half of the 110 Pilgrims who had left England in 1620 survived that first year in the New World? In their second year, however, the Pilgrims flourished with plentiful food sources, thanks in large part to the friendship and guidance of an Abnaki Indian named Squanto.
3.第一次感恩節的時間是1621年的十二月，一共持續了3天，移民們藉此機會感謝上天給予他們的豐賜。
Did you know that the first Thanksgiving took place in December 1621, when the Pilgrims held a three-day feast in Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts to celebrate their bountiful harvest?
4.直到200年後的1863年，林肯總統才宣佈每年11月的第四個週四是感恩節，直到那時，感恩節才成爲了美國全國性的節日。
Did you know that Thanksgiving didn't become an official national holiday until more than 200 years later, when in 1863 President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November a national day of thanksgiving?
5.每年的感恩節上，美國總統都會特赦火雞。這個傳統從1947開始。這些被特赦的火雞會在農場裏度過餘生。而近兩年，它們會被送到迪斯尼樂園。在當地迪士尼樂園感恩節遊行中擔任榮譽貴賓。這個傳統儀式可以追溯到美國內戰林肯總統當政的時期。1863年的一天，林肯的兒子泰德突然闖入內閣會議請求赦免一隻名叫傑克的寵物火雞，因爲這隻被送進白宮的火雞，即將成爲人們的感恩節大餐。
Did you know that it is tradition for US Presidents to issue a pardon to the White House Thanksgiving Turkeys? Since about 1947 the National Turkey Federation has presented the President of the United States with one (and in recent years - two) live turkey(s) in a ceremony known as the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation. The live turkeys are pardoned and live out the rest of their days on a farm or, since 2005, sent to either Disneyland in California or Walt Disney World in Florida, where they serve as the honorary grand marshals of Disney's Thanksgiving Day Parade. While it is commonly believed that this pardoning tradition began with President Harry Truman in 1947, the Truman Library has been unable to find any evidence for this. The earliest Thanksgiving Presidential Pardon on record is with President George H. W. Bush in 1989.6.最受歡迎的感恩節菜單由以下幾道菜組成：火雞，蔓越莓，番薯以及南瓜派。
Did you know that the most popular Thanksgiving dinner includes a menu of turkey, cranberries, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie? Then it's only fitting that Americans raise over 256 million turkeys. The biggest producer of turkeys is Minnesota, followed by North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri and California.
7.平均每隻感恩節火雞的重量是15磅。
Did you know that the average Thanksgiving turkey weighs 15 pounds? Hens can range from 10 to 18 pounds, while toms can be as large as 25 pounds. The most traditional way to prepare a turkey is to stuff and roast it, although some chefs -- particularly in the south -- swear by deep frying their birds.
8.美國至少有三個小鎮的名字裏有Turkey（火雞）這個單詞。而有8個地方名叫Cranberry（蔓越莓）。另外還有20個地方名叫 Plymouth（普利茅斯），這也是首次舉辦感恩節的地方。
Did you know that there are at least three American towns named after Thanksgiving dinner's main course?There's Turkey, Texas, with 496 residents; Turkey Creek, Louisiana, with 357 residents, and Turkey, North Carolina, with 267 residents. There are also eight places and townships named Cranberry, and 20 places named Plymouth, after the location of the first Thanksgiving.
9.由梅西百貨舉辦的感恩節遊行是全國最著名的遊行。每年都會由NBC轉播。遊行通常會有幾個特定的主題，一些百老匯演出的場景，另外還會有很多卡通形象的氣球所組成。遊行最後會出現聖誕老人的氣球，這也代表着聖誕季的開始。
Did you know that while there are many "Thanksgiving Day" parades held across the country, the most famous has to be the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City? The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is held annually every Thanksgiving Day and is televised nationally by NBC. The parade features parade floats with specific themes, scenes from Broadway plays, large balloons of cartoon characters and TV personalities, and high school marching bands. The float that traditionally ends the Macy's Parade is the Santa Claus float, the arrival of which is an unofficial sign of the beginning of the Christmas season.
10.感恩節後的一天被稱爲黑色星期五。人們通常由此開始聖誕節大采購，很多商店都會顧客盈門從而有大額進帳。而傳統上用不同顏色的墨水來記賬，紅色表示虧損即赤字，黑色表示盈利。所以把這個星期五叫做黑色星期五。雖然黑色星期五這一天一般都會是一個大的採購狂潮，但基本還只能算是一年中銷售額第二或第三高的一天，通常聖誕節前夜或之前的一個星期六纔是最高潮。
Did you know that Black Friday -- the day after Thanksgiving, which is widely touted as the biggest Christmas shopping day in America -- is actually not the biggest shopping day? In fact, the Saturday before Christmas has historically been the largest volume shopping day. Black Thursday ranks anywhere from second to fifth in Christmas shopping days.
