Thanksgiving and Black Friday - American Traditions
你好，我的朋友们！
Hello Friends!
最近我刚从中国回来，这次的商务游不仅跟老友聚了聚，也认识了不少新朋友。其实我每次回中国之前都很期待中国朋友的热情好客之情，无论大家的待客之道为何，每个人都非常的善良和慷慨，那种好客之情让我觉得无论是漫长的旅行还是那无数杯茅台都值了。
I recently returned from a nice business trip to China where I spent time with old friends and making new ones. One thing I always look forward to, is the outstanding Chinese hospitality. It doesn’t matter the wealth of the person – there is always kindness and giving. It makes those long trips and excessive shots of Moutai all worth it.
其实这种热情好客的感觉常常让我觉得相似美国的感恩节假期。如今，大部分人都听说过美国的感恩节，其实好像很多西方节日近几年在中国已经很流行了，比如万圣节，情人节，圣诞节，甚至中国比这里还更有气氛，我也看到好多中国朋友相互问候传达感恩节的祝福。
This excellent hospitality often reminds me of Thanksgiving in America – a holiday tradition that most of you probably know by now. It seems many American holidays have made their way to China in recent years: Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Christmas and now I’m starting to see Thanksgiving messages from my Chinese comrades.
如果你没听说过感恩节，那么我来简单说说吧：
here is a very brief history of Thanksgiving in case you didn’t know:
感恩节是每年11月的第四个星期四，而且感恩节是美国的公共假日之一。自1789年开始庆祝的（大概是干隆皇帝统治期间吧）。但是，第一个感恩节，也叫“收获节”是在1621年举行的。当时新探险家与美国原始居民一起举行了为期3天的盛宴。
Thanksgiving Day, is a public holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States. It has been celebrated since 1789 (during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor in China). However, the first Thanksgiving or “Harvest Festival” was held in 1621 after new explorers met with Native Americans and held a 3-day feast in the fall.
感恩节发扬的是无私，分享，家庭和善良。如今，感恩节也有其他传统.
The point about this holiday is: being unselfish, sharing, family and kindness. In more modern times, Thanksgiving has other traditions.
1. 赦免一只火鸡。自从1947年以来，美国总统每逢感恩节都会赦免一只火鸡 - 这只火鸡会送到一个农场“退休“。我觉得这很滑稽，赦免了一只火鸡，而其它火鸡却是今天的主餐，哈哈。
1. The Presidential Turkey Pardon. Every year since 1947 the President of America will pardon a turkey – a sign that this turkey will not be killed, and sent to a farm to retire. A funny act of mercy in a day where Turkey is the main dish at dinner.
2. 梅西感恩节游行。自1924年以来，美国梅西百货每年在纽约市举办一个大型的3小时游行。通常是国家电台直播，每个家庭一般都会观看（就像中国人春节看春晚一样）。说实话，我现在是一边写一边看呢。呵呵。 游行一般有明星，现场乐队表演和大型卡通气球，最后，圣诞老人的出现象征着进入圣诞节季节。今年的游行有一万名演员，吸引了400万人到纽约市和数亿人在电视上观看。
2. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Since 1924, the American retailer Macy’s has hosted a large 3-hour parade in New York City. It is nationally televised and something the family usually watches together on the morning of Thanksgiving (very much like the Chinese New Year Show at the New Year Eve). As I write this, the parade is on the television now. The parade has major celebrities, live music performances, huge major cartoon character balloons and always ends with Santa Claus – a symbol of the Christmas season beginning. The parade in modern times has 10,000 performers, draws 4 million people to New York City and hundreds of millions watching on TV.
3. 黑色星期五大减价。商场一年中最忙的一天也无非就是黑色星期五啦。黑色星期五通常在感恩节的晚上，也就是星期四晚上就开始了，并且通常延续到周末。黑五是一年中折扣最多的一天。大多数零售商为了吸引更多的顾客甚至会做赔钱买卖。黑色星期五的主要特点是：深夜和凌晨的购物（其实很多特价商品是在凌晨5点），所以，你会看到很多人在商场外面排队，有时候还有人在商店外露营，更极端的是，你也许偶尔能看到有人打架 – 比如在沃尔玛。总之，黑五蛮有意思的。这之后就是网络星期一（网上购物大折扣）。网络星期一就像是中国的光棍节（11/11）。
3. Black Friday Sales. The busiest shopping day of the year, Black Friday usually begins the night of Thanksgiving, Thursday, and often extends throughout the weekend. Simply, it is where the best deals of the year can be found in all categories. Most retailers lose money on many products, to get foot traffic in their store for side purchases. Key characteristics of Black Friday are: late night and early morning shopping (5 am deals are common), people lining up and sometimes camping outside their favorite stores, and occasional fights – usually at economy stores like Walmart. Still, it can be a fun and exciting event. This is now followed by Cyber Monday (online sales only). Chinese will recognize this event closest as singles day in China 光棍节 (11/11).
当然，感恩节的其他传统还很多，比如美式足球，现场电视表演，经典假日电影和大型家庭聚会等。
There are other traditions as well like, America Football, live TV performances, classic holiday movies and large family gatherings.
虽然传统食物是火鸡，土豆，蔓越莓酱，火鸡填充料和各种蔬菜配菜， 各家都会根据自己的爱好和口味修改菜谱。比如我来自缅因，我们对海鲜情有独钟。我们的菜谱一半少不了海鲜，我最拿手的是培根卷扇贝。啊，太好吃了！
While the traditional foods are Turkey, Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, Stuffing and various vegetable side dishes – families often add or change options. As I am from Maine, including seafood is important for me. My special dish is bacon wrapped scallops. Delicious!
无论你吃什么，你的信仰是什么，或者你的传统是什么 - 感恩节是可以说是美国文化中很关键一天。我甚至想说这一天是美国文化最重要的一天。
Whatever you cook, whatever your beliefs and whatever your traditions – Thanksgiving is a critical day in American culture. In fact, I would argue it is the most important day of American culture. 
我希望大家都能来美国体验一次感恩节，过一次黑色星期五，也说不定你能尝尝我做的培根卷扇贝，哈！
I hope some of you can enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, Black Friday shopping and other traditions some day in America as well. Perhaps you can sample some of my scallops !
好了，今天我是大厨，我要下厨了，多吃点晚上才能去购物哦！
Ok, time to start cooking and get ready for a late night of shopping!
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