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Almost in every culture in the world there is a celebration
of thanks for rich harvest. The American Thanksgiving began
as a feast of thanksgiving almost four hundred years ago.
In 1620, a religious community sailed across the Atlantic
Ocean to settle in the New World. They settled in what is now
known as the state of Massachusettes. Their first winter in
America was difficult. They arrived too late to grow a rich
harvest. Moreover, half the colony died from desease. The
following spring the Iroquois Indians taught them how to
grow corn. Indians showed them also how to grow other
crops and how to hunt and fish.
In the autumn of 1621 they got a beautiful harvest of corn,
barley, beans and pumpkins. The colonists had much to be
thankful for, so they planned a feast. Local Indian chief and
ninety Indians were present. The colonists learned from Indians
how to cook cranberries and dishes of corn and pumpkins.
In following years many of the colonists celebrated the
harvest with a feast of thanks. After the United States gained
independence, Congress recommended one yearly day of thaksgiving for the whole country. Later, George Washington
suggested the date November 26 as Thanksgiving Day. Then,
after the Civil war, Abraham Lincoln suggested the last Thursday
in November to be the day of thanksgiving.
On Thanksgiving Day, family members gather at the house
of an older relative, even if they live far away. All give thanks
for everything good they have. Charitable organizations offer
traditional meal to the homeless.
Foods, eaten at the first thanksgiving, have become traditional.
The traditional thanksgiving meal consists of roast
turkey stuffed with herb-flavoured bread, cranberry jelly,
mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie. Other dishes may vary as to
region: ham, sweet potatoes, creamed corn.
Questions:
1. Who were the people that started the celebrating of
American Thanksgiving?
2. What difficulties did they face in their first winter in
the New World?
3. What were'they taught by the American Indians?
4. Who participated in the first feast of Thanksgiving?
5. What is the date of Thanksgiving and how it was
adopted?
6. What are the traditional plates on Thanksgiving?
Vocabulary:
Thanksgiving — День благодарения
thanksgiving — воздаяние благодарности
harvest — урожай
to settle — поселиться
to grow — выращивать
desease — болезнь
Iroquois Indians — индейцы из племени ирокезов
corn — кукуруза
crops — овощи
to hunt — охотиться
to fish — ловить рыбу
bountiful — обильный
barley — ячмень
beans — бобы
pumpkin — тыква
Civil war — гражданская война
charitable — благотворительный
stuffed turkey — фаршированная индейка
herb-flavored bread — хлеб с пряностями
cranberry — клюква
cranberry jelly — клюквенное желе
Clashed potatoes — картофельное пюре
ham — ветчина
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