Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated in much of North America generally observed as an expression of gratitude usually to God. The most common view of its origin is that it was to give thanks to God for the bounty of the autumn harvest. 

In the United States the holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In Canada where the harvest generally ends earlier in the year the holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in October which is observed as Columbus Day or protested as Indigenous Peoples Day in the United States.Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated with a feast shared among friends and family. In the United States it is an important family holiday and people often travel across the country to be with family members for the holiday. 

In the United States the holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In Canada where the harvest generally ends earlier in the year the holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in October which is observed as Columbus Day or protested as Indigenous Peoples Day in the United States.Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated with a feast shared among friends and family. In the United States it is an important family holiday and people often travel across the country to be with family members for the holiday. 

The Thanksgiving holiday is generally a "four-day" weekend in the United States in which Americans are given the relevant Thursday and Friday off. Thanksgiving is almost entirely celebrated at home unlike the Fourth of July or Christmas which are associated with a variety of shared public experiences (fireworks caroling etc.)感恩節(jié)的由來要一直追溯到美國歷史的發(fā)端。1620年，著名的“五月花”號船滿載不堪忍受英國國內(nèi)宗教迫害的清教徒102人到達美洲。1620年和1621年之交的冬天，他們遇到了難以想象的困難，處在饑寒交迫之中，冬天過去時，活下來的移民只有50來人。這時，心地善良的印第安人給移民送來了生活必需品，還特地派人教他們怎樣狩獵、捕魚和種植玉米、南瓜。在印第安人的幫助下，移民們終于獲得了豐收，在歡慶豐收的日子，按照宗教傳統(tǒng)習俗，移民規(guī)定了感謝上帝的日子，并決定為感謝印第安人的真誠幫助，邀請他們一同慶祝節(jié)日。在第一個感恩節(jié)的這一天，印第安人和移民歡聚一堂，他們在黎明時鳴放禮炮，列隊走進一間用作教堂的屋子，虔誠地向上帝表達謝意，然后點起篝火舉行盛大宴會。第二天和第三天又舉行了摔交、賽跑、唱歌、跳舞等活動。第一個感恩節(jié)非常成功。其中許多慶祝方式流傳了300多年，一直保留到今天。初時感恩節(jié)沒有固定日期，由各州臨時決定，直到美國獨立后，感恩節(jié)才成為全國性的節(jié)日。 1863年，美國總統(tǒng)林肯正式宣布感恩節(jié)為國定假日。屆時，家家團聚，舉國同慶，其盛大、熱烈的情形，不亞于中國人過春節(jié)。

The Thanksgiving holiday is generally a "four-day" Thanks is also essential cellular at home without the fourth of July or Christmas which are associated with a variety of shared public experiences (fireworks caroling etc.). In 1620, the famous Mayflower arrived in America with 102 Puritans who could not bear the religious persecution in Britain. In the winter of 1620 and 1621, they met with unimaginable difficulties. They were starving and cold. When the winter passed, only 50 immigrants survived. At this time, the kind-hearted Indians brought the necessities of life to the immigrants, and specially sent people to teach them how to hunt, fish and grow corn and pumpkins. With the help of the Indians, the immigrants finally got a harvest. On the day of celebrating the harvest, according to the religious tradition, the immigrants set a day to thank God, and decided to invite the Indians to celebrate the festival together for their sincere help. On the first day of Thanksgiving, Indians and immigrants gathered. They fired firecrackers at dawn, marched into a room used as a church, expressed their sincere gratitude to God, and then lit a bonfire for a grand banquet. The next day and the third day, wrestling, running, singing, dancing and other activities were held. The first Thanksgiving was a great success. Many of these celebrations have been around for more than 300 years and have been preserved to this day. At the beginning of Thanksgiving, there was no fixed date, which was decided by the States temporarily. Thanksgiving did not become a national holiday until after the independence of the United States. In 1863, President Lincoln officially declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. At that time, family reunion and national celebration will be as grand and warm as Chinese Spring Festival.