美國民衆以盛宴和假日購物表達感恩

Americans are expected to mark the annual Thanksgiving holiday Thursday with family gatherings, meals and bargain shopping.

The celebration is traditionally held on the fourth Thursday in November and marks the beginning of a holiday season that culminates in New Year's celebrations in early January.

The day after Thanksgiving Day is a day for big sales on clothing, toys, and appliances, as people begin their holiday shopping in earnest.

So-called "Black Friday" sales begin Thursday on Thanksgiving Day, or even a few days before, and generally end the following Monday, known as Cyber Monday.

According to the National Retail Federation, about 68 million people in the U.S. say they expect to shop over the Thanksgiving Day weekend.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama took care of business, both frivolous and serious. He conducted the traditional "turkey pardon," assuring two specially-selected turkeys in a White House ceremony that they would not be made into Thanksgiving dinner.

The president also assured the nation that at a time of heightened security, there is no need to worry about terrorist threats as they go about their holiday travels and traditions.星期四美國人慶祝每年一度的感恩節，與家人團聚，共享美餐，購買折價商品。

按照傳統，美國人在每年十一月的第四個星期四慶祝感恩節。這一天標誌着假日季節的開端。季節的高潮是一月初的新年。

感恩節的第二天就是大減價日，所謂的“黑色星期五”。服裝、玩具和家用電器等商品都折價出售。人們從這一天開始節日購物。折價出售在感恩節甚至更早幾天開始，一直持續到星期一。星期一網絡促銷開始。

據美國全國零售商聯合會統計，大約6800萬美國人表示要在感恩節這個週末購物。

星期三，奧巴馬總統處理了大小各類公務。在白宮舉行的“赦免火雞”傳統儀式上，奧巴馬赦免了兩隻火雞，一隻叫“誠實”，另一隻叫“阿貝”，使它們免於成爲餐桌上的美味佳餚。

此外，奧巴馬讓美國民衆放心，不必擔心恐怖主義威脅，儘可依照傳統歡度節日。