In many countries the day after
Christmas is greeted with another holiday tradition, known as Boxing Day.
Though we celebrate it, there are many of us that are unsure about the
significance of Boxing Day and why we celebrate it. Here is some brief
information on Boxing Day to help you to know more about the holiday.
Boxing Day is noted as the day
following Christmas. It is a holiday tradition that originated in England and
is celebrated on December 26th of each year. Boxing Day is
celebrated in nations such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany,
Hong Kong, New Zealand and the countries in the Commonwealth of Nations (such
as Jamaica) with a mainly Christian population. In South Africa this public
holiday is now known as the Day of Goodwill.
Despite its name, Boxing Day, has nothing to do with the physical
competition. Nor is it a day for people to return unwanted Christmas presents.
Traditionally, this was the day to open the Christmas box to share the contents
to the poor. The Christmas box is a wooden or clay container where people
placed gifts. The boxes were generally placed in churches where parishioners
deposited coins for the poor; these boxes were opened and the contents were
distributed on December 26. Christmas boxes were not necessarily made in the
shape of a box. Some were hollow clay balls with a slit in the top.
The name ‘Boxing
Day’ derives from the
Anglo-Saxon tradition of giving seasonal gifts (in the form of a
"Christmas box") to less wealthy people and slaves. As time
went by, Boxing Day gift giving expanded to include those who had rendered a
service during the previous year. This tradition survives today as people give
presents to tradesmen, mail carriers, doormen, porters, and others who have helped
them.
Boxing Day is also known as St. Stephen’s Day. The Feast of
St. Stephen also takes place on December 26. St. Stephen was one of the seven
original deacons of the Christian Church who were ordained by the Apostles to
care for widows and the poor. For the success of his preaching and his devotion
to Christ, St. Stephen was stoned to death by a mob. As he died, he begged God
not to punish his killers.
Sources:
No comments:
Post a Comment