感恩节(Thanksgiving Day)是美国和加拿大共有的节日，时间为每年11月的第四个星期四。是一个仅次于圣诞节的重要节日。原意是为了感谢上天赐与的好收成。美国家庭都要举行丰盛的感恩宴，常见的传统食品有火鸡、南瓜馅饼和玉米面做的印第安布丁。感恩节期间，美国城乡都要举行化装游行、戏剧表演和射击、打靶等体育比赛。

Thanksgiving Day, 2011

A Proclamation

By the President of the United States of America

2011年感恩节

美利坚合众国总统公告

November 16, 2011

2011年11月16日

One of our Nation's oldest and most cherished traditions, Thanksgiving Day brings us closer to our loved ones and invites us to reflect on the blessings that enrich our lives. The observance recalls the celebration of an autumn harvest centuries ago, when the Wampanoag tribe joined the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony to share in the fruits of a bountiful season. The feast honored the Wampanoag for generously extending their knowledge of local game and agriculture to the Pilgrims, and today we renew our gratitude to all American Indians and Alaska Natives. We take this time to remember the ways that the First Americans have enriched our Nation's heritage, from their generosity centuries ago to the everyday contributions they make to all facets of American life. As we come together with friends, family, and neighbors to celebrate, let us set aside our daily concerns and give thanks for the providence bestowed upon us.

感恩节（Thanksgiving Day）是美国最悠久、最宝贵的传统之一。这个节日带给我们更浓郁的亲情，令我们反思给予我们丰富多彩的生活的万般恩典。这个传统上溯至几百年前万帕诺亚格部落（Wampanoag tribe）和普利茅斯殖民地（Plymouth Colony）清教徒移民分享秋收果实的欢庆时节。当时的盛宴表达了对万帕诺亚格部落向新移民传授当地狩猎和农作知识的慷慨友情的赞赏；今天，我们继续向所有美洲印第安人和阿拉斯加原住民表示感恩。让我们值此时刻重温美国最早期的人们对我国文化传统的贡献——他们不仅在数百年前慷慨相助，而且每一天都在为美国生活的各方各面作贡献。在我们与朋友、家人和邻居聚首欢庆的日子里，让我们抛开日常烦恼，为上帝对我们的眷顾而感恩。

Though our traditions have evolved, the spirit of grace and humility at the heart of Thanksgiving has persisted through every chapter of our story. When President George Washington proclaimed our country's first Thanksgiving, he praised a generous and knowing God for shepherding our young Republic through its uncertain beginnings. Decades later, President Abraham Lincoln looked to the divine to protect those who had known the worst of civil war, and to restore the Nation "to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union."

虽然我们的传统与时俱进，但是作为感恩节核心的恩惠与谦卑精神贯穿于我们历史的各段篇章，始终如一。乔治·华盛顿（George Washington）总统发表了美国第一个感恩日公告，感谢慷慨而全能的上帝护卫我们年轻的共和国度过风雨莫测的初始阶段。几十年后，亚伯拉罕·林肯（Abraham Lincoln）总统祈求神灵保佑深领内战不幸的人们，让国家重享完全的“和平、和谐、安宁与联邦团结”。

In times of adversity and times of plenty, we have lifted our hearts by giving humble thanks for the blessings we have received and for those who bring meaning to our lives. Today, let us offer gratitude to our men and women in uniform for their many sacrifices, and keep in our thoughts the families who save an empty seat at the table for a loved one stationed in harm's way. And as members of our American family make do with less, let us rededicate ourselves to our friends and fellow citizens in need of a helping hand.

无论时逢逆境还是一帆风顺，我们通过对恩典和赋予我们生命意义的人们谦卑地表示感恩而得到心灵的升华。今天，让我们向付出各种牺牲的男女军人表示感谢，也让我们心系那些在餐桌边为值守在险境中的亲人留着空位的家庭。面对精简度日的美国大家庭的成员，让我们再次向需要帮助的朋友和国人献出爱心。

As we gather in our communities and in our homes, around the table or near the hearth, we give thanks to each other and to God for the many kindnesses and comforts that grace our lives. Let us pause to recount the simple gifts that sustain us, and resolve to pay them forward in the year to come.

当我们聚会在社区和家中，围坐在餐桌旁、火炉边时，我们向彼此表示感谢，我们向将仁慈与温馨带到我们生活中的上帝表示感谢。让我们驻足凝思鼓舞我们的生活的点滴恩惠，并立志来年报恩。

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 24, 2011, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage the people of the United States to come together -- whether in our homes, places of worship, community centers, or any place of fellowship for friends and neighbors -- to give thanks for all we have received in the past year, to express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our own, and to share our bounty with others.

为此，我，美利坚合众国总统巴拉克·奥巴马，以美国宪法和法律赋予我的权力，特此宣布2011年11月24日星期四为全国感恩节。我呼吁美国全体人民，不论是在家中、在敬拜场所、在社区中心，还是在任何与亲朋好友及左邻右舍欢聚的地方，共同对我们过去一年所得的一切表示感谢，向那些用他们的生命丰富了我们的生活的人表示感谢；并与他人分享自己所受之恩。

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

我谨于公元2011年11月16日，即美利坚合众国独立第236年，亲笔在此签名为证。

BARACK OBAMA（巴拉克·奥巴马）

相关阅读

奥巴马2010年感恩节演讲

奥巴马感恩节前赦免火鸡

Warm Wishes 感恩节温馨英文祝福

（来源：普特英语 编辑：Rosy）