說法一：1621年，普利茅斯殖民地的居民和當地印第安人一起慶祝的豐收節(jié)，而后轉變成現在的感恩節(jié)。

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. This harvest meal has become a symbol of cooperation and interaction between English colonists and Native Americans.
1621年，普利茅斯殖民地的居民和當地印第安人一起慶祝豐收節(jié)，后來這一天被公認為感恩節(jié)的開始。這次豐收節(jié)也成為了英國殖民者和本地美洲人之間合作和互動的象征。

Although this feast is considered by many to the very first Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. Native American groups throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Creek and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America.
盡管這個節(jié)日被認為是次感恩節(jié)，但其實它作為豐收日來慶祝在美洲已經有很長歷史。人們?yōu)樨S收而感謝上天，在每周各地的印第安部落都有類似的慶祝活動。

說法二：1619年，約翰船長為平安度過大西洋而感恩，進而變成感恩節(jié)。

Historians have also recorded other ceremonies of thanks among European settlers in North America, including British colonists in Berkeley Plantation, Virginia.
歷史上，也有其他關于感恩節(jié)起源的記載，比如英國殖民者在弗吉尼亞州的故事。

At this site near the Charles River in December of 1619, a group of British settlers led by Captain John Woodlief knelt in prayer and pledged "Thanksgiving" to God for their healthy arrival after a long voyage across the Atlantic. This event has been acknowledged by some scholars and writers as the official first Thanksgiving among European settlers on record.
1619年12月，在查爾斯河附近，由約翰船長帶領的一小隊英國殖民者穿越大西洋來到美洲，他們?yōu)樽约浩桨捕冗^海洋而感謝上帝。這一事件被很多學者和作家認為是感恩節(jié)的起源。

Whether at Plymouth, Berkeley Plantation, or throughout the Americas, celebrations of thanks have held great meaning and importance over time. The legacy of thanks, and particularly of the feast, have survived the centuries as people throughout the United States gather family, friends, and enormous amounts of food for their yearly Thanksgiving meal.

不管哪里也好，感恩節(jié)對于美國人來說意義重大。它是聯系朋友、家人的重要紐帶，也是一年一次吃大餐的好機會呀！