The First Thanksgiving

On September 6, 1620, a small, wooden ship called the Mayflower sailed on its way to America. It had left England with 102 people. These people came to be known as Pilgrims (清教徒). The Pilgrims had left England because King James did not want them to practice their own religion (宗教). They were in search of a new home. Sometimes the sea was calm and gentle (温和的). The weather was warm and birds flew overhead (在头上方). Fish leaped above and dipped (向下倾斜) below the clear blue water. The children in the tiny ship laughed and played hand games. At other times the sea was rough (粗鲁地) and stormy（有暴风雨）. The sky grew gray. Large raindrops fell from the heavy clouds, plopping into the sea and into the Mayflower. Tall waves rocked （摇晃） the ship. The children were afraid. With more gray skies than blue, the Mayflower sailed along the ocean for two months. Finally, after the long journey(旅途), the weary （疲惫的）Pilgrims sighted （看到了） land. “Land ahead!” someone shouted. As the Mayflower got closer and closer, there was nothing but tall trees as far as the eye could see. “We had found the New World!” someone said. The Pilgrims were very happy. Slowly, the ship made its way inland （内陆）. This was December 21, 1620. The Pilgrims docked （停靠船） the ship and came ashore. There were on the land of the Wamponoag Nation. This was the village of Patuxet. “We will call this new land, New England,” said William Bradford, the Pilgrim’s leader. Today this place is Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Pilgrims began to explore（探险） the new land. They saw no people. The Patuxet Wampanoag and thousands of other Native（本地人） people had died from a terrible sickness that came with European fishermen in 1616. In no time, the Pilgrims began to get settled（安顿定居）. Winter was fast approaching（接近）. They knew they needed sturdy shelter（庇护所） and a place to store food. While the women took care of the children, the men began to build. They build one big house that winter. They called it the Common House. The winter was bitter cold and often snowy. The Pilgrims did not have much food left from their trip. Most of the time they were hungry. They tried to stay healthy（健康） and cheerful（愉快的）, but it was difficult. Many of them became very sick. The Common House became a hospital（医院） for the sick. But the House did not provide enough heat to protect them from the cold, fierce winds and icy storms. Many died. Only 50 Pilgrims survived as the winter dragged on. Then one day, the Pilgrims realized（体会认知） that the long, hard winter had ended. They heard birds chirping（吱喳叫）. Leaves had sprouted（萌芽） on the trees. Spring had arrived. One afternoon, a Native man appeared（出现） outside. The Pilgrim were surprised（惊讶） when he said, “Welcome, Englishmen.” He learned English from English merchants（商人） who came on ships with good to trade（买卖）. He was Samoset of the Abenaki people. Later, Samoset brought his friend Squanto to meet the Pilgrims. Squanto knew English, too. He had been kidnapped（被绑架） and brought to England in 1614. Five years later, he made it back home. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn. He showed them how to put fish in the earth two weeks before planting. He explained that the fish would fertilize the earth and help it grow good corn. The grateful Pilgrims began to plant corn as they were taught. They planted seeds（种子） for beans, squash（西葫芦）, and pumpkins too. The Pilgrims learned how to fish, to dig for clams（蚌壳） and to catch eels（鳗鱼）. After a while, Squanto visited and brought along Chief（酋长） Massasoit of the Wampanoag. The Chief had 6- of his men with him. They talked to the Pilgrims about why they had come to their land. William Bradford and Chief Massasoit made a treaty（协议）. The promised（承诺） to band together against people who would harm them. Soon it was time for the Pilgrims to prepare for the coming winter. Squanto showed them how to find their way through the woods and how to hunt（打猎） animals for meat. The Pilgrims built more houses. They worked hard all summer. At the end of the summer, they had built seven small homes. Green leaves turned red, gold and orange with autumn’s arrival. The Pilgrim’s harvest（丰收） was plentiful. There were tall stalks of corn, large orange pumpkins, squash and beans. The Pilgrims were very thankful for their food. Because they were so happy, they decided they should have a big feast（宴会） and give thanks for all their blessings（福分）. That fall, in October 1621, they had a harvest feast. For the feast, the men hunted wild turkeys（野火鸡） that the woman cooked. Ninety Wampanoag, including Chief Massasoit, joined（参与） the Pilgrims at the feast. The guests brought deer that was cooked over a blazing(熊熊燃烧的) fire. Huge servings of meat were placed on long tables that stood side by side. There were meat pies（肉派饼）, wheat breads, and corn puddings（布丁）. There were berries（浆果）, grapes, dried plums, and nuts. For three days, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag came together in celebration（庆典）, eating, dancing, and playing games. This feast was later called the First Thanksgiving by President Abraham Lincoln. In 1863, he proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November as the official（官方的） “Thanksgiving Day”.