Symbols of Thanksgiving

◎供稿：羅宇軒

Turkey, corn,1)pumpkinsand cranberry sauce are symbols which represent the first Thanksgiving. Now all of these symbols are drawn on holiday decorations and greeting cards. The use of corn meant the survival of the colonies. “Indian corn” as a table or door decoration represents the harvest and the fall season.

Sweet-sour cranberry sauce, or cranberry jelly, was on the first Thanksgiving table and is still served today. The cranberry is a small,sour berry. It grows in2)bogs, or muddy areas, in Massachusetts and other New England states. The Indians used the fruit to treat infections.They used the juice to dye their rugs and blankets. They taught the colonists how to cook the berries with3)sweetenerand water to make a sauce. The Indians called it “ibimi” which means “bitter berry.” When the colonists saw it, they named it “crane-berry” because the flowers of the berry bent the stalk over, and it resembled the long-necked bird called a crane. The berries are still grown in New England.

In 1988, a Thanksgiving ceremony of a different kind took place at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. More than four thousand people gathered on Thanksgiving night. Among them were Native Americans representing tribes from all over the country and descendants of people whose ancestors had migrated to the New World.

The ceremony was a public acknowledgment of the Indians' role in the first Thanksgiving 350 years ago. Until recently most schoolchildren believed that the Pilgrims cooked the entire Thanksgiving feast, and offered it to the Indians. In fact, the feast was planned to thank the Indians for teaching them how to cook those foods. Without the Indians, the first settlers would not have survived.

Thanksgiving is a time for tradition and sharing. Even if they live far away,family members gather for a reunion at the house of an older relative. All give thanks together for the good things that they have.

In this spirit of sharing, civic groups and charitable organizations offer a traditional meal to those in need, particularly the homeless. On most tables throughout the United States, foods eaten at the first thanksgiving have become traditional.

1) pumpkins ['p?mpkinz] n. 南瓜 2) bogs [b?ɡ] n.沼澤 3) sweetener [swi:tn?(r)] n. 甜味佐料

火雞、玉米、南瓜和蔓越莓醬是第一個(gè)感恩節(jié)的象征?，F(xiàn)在所有這些符號(hào)都畫在節(jié)日裝飾和賀卡上。玉米的使用意味著殖民地的生存?！坝〉诎灿衩住弊鳛椴妥阑蜷T的裝飾，代表著收獲和秋天的季節(jié)。

在第一個(gè)感恩節(jié)餐桌上出現(xiàn)的酸甜蔓越莓醬或蔓越莓果凍今天仍然供應(yīng)。蔓越莓是一種小而酸的漿果。它生長(zhǎng)在馬薩諸塞州和新英格蘭地區(qū)其他州的沼澤地或泥濘地區(qū)。印第安人用水果來(lái)治療感染。他們用果汁染地毯和毯子。他們教殖民者如何用甜味劑和水煮漿果來(lái)制作醬汁。印第安人稱之為“ibimi”，意思是“苦漿果”。當(dāng)殖民者看到它時(shí)，他們稱之為“鶴漿果”，因?yàn)闈{果的花把莖折彎了，很像長(zhǎng)頸的鶴。這些漿果仍然生長(zhǎng)在新英格蘭地區(qū)。

1988，在圣約翰大教堂舉行了一個(gè)不同尋常的感恩節(jié)儀式。超過(guò)四千人在感恩節(jié)之夜聚集。其中有代表來(lái)自全國(guó)各地的部落和祖先移居新大陸的人的后裔的美洲土著人。

這一儀式是公眾對(duì)印第安人在350年前第一次感恩節(jié)中的作用的公開承認(rèn)。直到最近，大多數(shù)小學(xué)生還相信清教徒烹飪了整個(gè)感恩節(jié)大餐，并把它獻(xiàn)給了印第安人。事實(shí)上，宴會(huì)的目的是感謝印第安人教他們?nèi)绾闻胝{(diào)那些食物。沒(méi)有印第安人，第一批定居者就不會(huì)幸存下來(lái)。

感恩節(jié)是一個(gè)傳統(tǒng)和分享的時(shí)節(jié)。即使他們住在很遠(yuǎn)的地方，家人也會(huì)聚集在一個(gè)長(zhǎng)輩家里團(tuán)聚。所有人都要感謝他們所擁有的美好事物。

本著這種分享的精神，民間團(tuán)體和慈善組織為那些有需要的人，特別是無(wú)家可歸的人們提供傳統(tǒng)食物。在美國(guó)的大多數(shù)餐桌上，吃第一次感恩節(jié)吃的食物已經(jīng)變成了傳統(tǒng)。