1.1620年,一些清教徒乘坐“五月花”號(hào)船去美洲尋求宗教自由。他們?nèi)毯叫辛?5天。由于該船是木制的,所以乘客們不能生火取暖或是煮飯。
Did you know that the Pilgrims 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(shù)以上的移民死于饑餓和傳染病,不過(guò)仍有一半的人活了下來(lái)。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(jié)的時(shí)間是1621年的十二月,一共持續(xù)了3天,移民們借此機(jī)會(huì)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年后的1863年,林肯總統(tǒng)才宣布每年11月的第四個(gè)周四是感恩節(jié),直到那時(shí),感恩節(jié)才成為了美國(guó)全國(guó)性的節(jié)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(jié)上,美國(guó)總統(tǒng)都會(huì)特赦兩只火雞。這個(gè)傳統(tǒng)從1947開(kāi)始。這些被特赦的火雞會(huì)在農(nóng)場(chǎng)里度過(guò)余生。而近兩年,它們會(huì)被送到迪斯尼樂(lè)園。在當(dāng)?shù)氐鲜磕針?lè)園感恩節(jié)游行中擔(dān)任榮譽(yù)貴賓。這個(gè)傳統(tǒng)儀式可以追溯到美國(guó)內(nèi)戰(zhàn)林肯總統(tǒng)當(dāng)政的時(shí)期。1863年的一天,林肯的兒子泰德突然闖入內(nèi)閣會(huì)議請(qǐng)求赦免一只名叫杰克的寵物火雞,因?yàn)檫@只被送進(jìn)白宮的火雞,即將成為人們的感恩節(jié)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 Psented 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(jié)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.平均每只感恩節(jié)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 Ppare a turkey is to stuff and roast it, although some chefs -- particularly in the south -- swear by deep frying their birds.
8.美國(guó)至少有三個(gè)小鎮(zhèn)的名字里有Turkey(火雞)這個(gè)單詞。而有8個(gè)地方名叫Cranberry(蔓越莓)。另外還有20個(gè)地方名叫 Plymouth(普利茅斯),這也是首次舉辦感恩節(jié)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(jié)游行是全國(guó)最著名的游行。每年都會(huì)由NBC轉(zhuǎn)播。游行通常會(huì)有幾個(gè)特定的主題,一些百老匯演出的場(chǎng)景,另外還會(huì)有很多卡通形象的氣球所組成。游行最后會(huì)出現(xiàn)圣誕老人的氣球,這也代表著圣誕季的開(kāi)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(jié)后的一天被稱為黑色星期五。人們通常由此開(kāi)始圣誕節(jié)大采購(gòu),很多商店都會(huì)顧客盈門(mén)從而有大額進(jìn)帳。而傳統(tǒng)上用不同顏色的墨水來(lái)記賬,紅色表示虧損即赤字,黑色表示盈利。所以把這個(gè)星期五叫做黑色星期五。雖然黑色星期五這一天一般都會(huì)是一個(gè)大的采購(gòu)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,通常圣誕節(jié)前夜或之前的一個(gè)星期六才是最高潮。
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.