温馨洋节日——感恩节

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    11月的第四个星期四是感恩节。这是美国人民独创的一个古老节日,也是美国人合家欢聚的节日,因此美国人提起感恩节总是备感亲切。感恩节是美国国定假日中最地道、最美国式的节日。

    感恩节和早期美国历史最为密切相关。1620年,一些朝拜者乘坐“五月花”号船去美洲寻求宗教自由。他们在海上颠簸了两个月之后,终于在酷寒的十一月里,于现在的马莎塞州的普里茅斯登陆。登陆的第一个冬天,半数以上的移民都死于饥饿和传染病,活下来的人们在第一个春季即1621年开始播种。整个夏天,他们都热切地盼望着丰收的到来,他们深知自己的生存以及殖民地的存在都将取决于即将到来的收成。最后,庄稼获得了意外的丰收,为了感谢上帝赐予的丰收,人们举行了3天的狂欢活动。从此,这一习俗就沿续下来,并逐渐风行各地。1863年,美国总统林肯宣布每年十一月的第四个星期四为感恩节。感恩节庆祝活动便定在这一天,直到如今。届时,家家团聚,举国同庆,其盛大、热烈的情形,不亚于中国人过春节。   

    感恩节庆祝模式许多年来从未改变。丰盛的家宴早在几个月之前就开始着手准备。人们在餐桌上可以吃到苹果、桔子、栗子、胡桃和葡萄,还有葡萄干布丁、碎肉馅饼、各种其他食物以及红莓苔汁和鲜果汁,其中最妙和最吸引人的大菜是烤火鸡和南瓜馅饼,这些菜一直是感恩节中最富于传统和最受人喜爱的食品。但人人都赞成感恩节大餐必需以烤火鸡为主菜。火鸡在烘烤时要以面包作填料以吸收从中流出来的美味汁液,但烹饪技术常因家庭和地区的不同而各异,应用什么填料也就很难求得一致。   

    另外,加拿大的感恩节是在十月的第二个星期一。

 

 

Jimmy Wayne - Paper Angels (折纸天使) 

After every day-after-Thanksgiving sale the malls just ain't complete
Without a bunch of decorations and a paper angel tree
There's artificial smile on the artificial tree limbs
Saying what she'd love to have and what to buy for him
 
Well I hope Maggie likes her new winter clothes and her buggy with a baby doll
And maybe Tom'll smile in his new Nike shoes when he shoots that basketball
I can't help but wishing that I could do more
But not just while I'm shopping in the department store
 
Paper angels you're in my thoughts and prayers
No matter where you are right now remember God's right there
He's asking all of us to help take care
Of his paper angels everywhere
 
Going through the mail almost every afternoon
I see a Mom and Dad's worst dream
There on the back of a money-saving ad to get my carpet cleaned
Height, weight, hair, eyes, date missin, and DOB
A child's name, picture, and the words 'have you seen me?'
 
Paper angels you're in my thoughts and prayers
No matter where you are right now remember God's right there
He's asking all of us to help take care
Of his paper angels everywhere
 
His documented bruises fill a folder in a file
She's a second grade self-portrait drawn without a smile
And every town is littered with this kind of debris
We've got to stop this madness and it's up to you and me
 
Paper angels you're in my thoughts and prayers
No matter where you are right now remember God's right there
He's asking all of us to help take care
Of his paper angels everywhere
 
paper angels everywhere

 

    在以节日为主题的乡村单曲中,Jimmy Wayne根据自己亲身经历所创作的《Paper Angels》取得了九年以来最高的排名.在美国,慈善组织“救世军”通过“天使树行动”让许多生活困窘的孩子都能在节日收到一份礼物,儿时的他也曾是受助者之一。Jimmy的童年无比艰辛,MV中他还特意穿上了14岁流落街头时所穿的夹克,“那时袖子长到足以包住我交握的双手”Jimmy说,“我创作这首歌不仅是为了唤起人们对儿童的关注,更是为了要向那对在16岁时收留我的夫妇表达由衷的谢意。”Jimmy渴望能够帮助那些和自己一样不幸的孩子,他现在正同“救世军”合作,通过有着30多年历史的“天使树行动”为全美超过100万儿童提供节日礼物。只要哪里的歌迷答应赠送玩具他就会把演唱会开到哪里,每次演出结束后的签名会上,Jimmy总会把“救世军”的红水壶放在桌边,以引起大家对慈善事业的关注。“他对那些孩子的同情胜过我们当中的每一个人”一位“救世军”的工作人员说,“他曾有过和那些孩子一样的经历,能够最真切地体会到没有礼物所带来的沮丧与失落。”

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[ft=,2,]一个会想起父母和对自己好的人的温馨节日[/ft]