Boxing
Day in United Kingdom
Boxing Day
in the United Kingdom is the day after Christmas Day and falls on December 26.
Traditionally, it was a day when employers distributed money, food, cloth
(material) or other valuable goods to their employees. In modern times, it is
an important day for sporting events and the start of the post-Christmas sales.
What do people do?
For many people Boxing Day
is a time to recover from the excesses of Christmas day and an opportunity to
spent time with family, friends and neighbors. Some people choose to go for a
walk in the countryside, while other flock to the post-Christmas sales in large
stores that often begin on Boxing Day. Some people even spend part of the night
and early morning queuing to get into the stores when the best bargains are
still available.Boxing Day is also an important day for sports events. Traditionally, using dogs to hunt for foxes was a popular sport amongst the upper classes. Pictures of hunters on horseback dressed in red coats and surrounded by hunting dogs are often seen as symbolic of Boxing Day. Nowadays, fox hunting is outlawed. Horse racing and football (soccer) are now popular sports.
Public life
Boxing Day is a bank
holiday. If Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, the following Monday is a bank
holiday. If Christmas Day falls on a Saturday, the following Monday and Tuesday
are bank holidays. All schools and many organizations are closed in this
period. Some may close for the whole week between Christmas and New Year.Many stores are open and now start their post-Christmas sales on Boxing Day. This makes December 26 a very important day for many retailers. Many public transport services run on special timetables. Many people travel to visit family or friends in this period, so bus, plane and train services can be very busy.
Background and symbols
There are a number of stories behind the origin of the term 'Boxing Day'. It used to be customary for employers to give their employees or servants a gift of money or food in a small box on this day. This is still customary for people who deliver letters or newspapers, although the gift may be given before Christmas Day. In feudal times, the lord of the manor would gather all those who worked on his land together on this day and distribute boxes of practical goods, such as agricultural tools, food and cloth. This was payment for the work that they had done throughout the passed year.Other stories relate to servants being allowed to take a portion of the food left over from the Christmas celebrations in a box to their families and the distribution of alms from the Church collection box to poor parishioners. These traditions have evolved into the Christmas hampers that many large employers distribute, although these are now often distributed in the week before Christmas.
oxing Day, also known as the Feast of St. Stephen (after the first Christian martyr), originated in England in the middle of the nineteenth century under Queen Victoria. It originated as a holiday for members of the merchant class to give boxes containing food and fruit, clothing, and/or money to trades people and servants. The gifts were an expression of gratitude similar to the bonuses many employers offer their employees today. These gifts, usually given in boxes, gave the holiday its name, "Boxing Day."
ReplyDeleteAlso related to the origin of Boxing Day is the tradition of opening the alms boxes placed in churches over the Christmas season. The contents of these boxes were distributed amongst the poor, by the clergy, the day after Christmas.
Today, Boxing Day is a holiday in the United Kingdom, Canada, and many other Commonwealth nations. It is a time for family and friends to gather with lots of food and fun. Outdoor sports such as soccer, horse racing and hunting are popular on this holiday. Retailers offer huge savings on many items on this day, making it the biggest shopping day of the year in Canada.
Throughout the Christmas season, many organizations keep the original tradition of Boxing Day alive by donating their time, energy, and money to fill the Food Bank and provide gifts for the poor.
I'd like to add more information about this day in the UK. Actually in 1941 Winston Churchill became the first British prime minister to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress. He told that body today that anti-Axis forces probably will be able to undertake a world-wide offensive in 1943. There the Prime Minister received a great burst of applause, the crowded floor and galleries rising as one man to cheer him. It was for the latter part of his speech, however, that the Prime Minister reserved his greatest earnestness.
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