Yesterday was Boxing Day \u2014 it lands on December 26 every year. It\u2019s a day for giving, especially to the less fortunate. It\u2019s the day after Christmas \u2014 of course it\u2019s not as widely celebrated as Christmas here in the U.S., but Boxing Day is celebrated all over the world \u2014 Australia, Austria, canada, Germany, Greenland, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kenya, New Zealand, Norway Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and others celebrate it as a special day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In South Africa, Boxing Day is known as the \u201cDay of Goodwill\u201d \u2014 In Ireland, it is known as \u201cSaint Stevens Day,\u201d but it\u2019s also sometimes referred to as Wren Day, a nod to an old tradition in which poor children would kill a wren, then sell the feathers to neighbors for good luck. When it is celebrated today, the wren is fake.\u00a0
And in some European countries, it is known as \u201cChristmas II\u201d or \u201cSecond Christmas Day.\u201d
In Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK, Boxing Day is the heaviest shopping day of the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No one really knows where the name \u201cBoxing Day\u201d got its name. Many historians think Boxing Day\u2019s name is derived from the church practice of opening alms boxes the day after Christmas and distributing money to the poor. Historically, British employers followed the church\u2019s lead by giving workers and servants gifts or cash on December 26. Another thought is that the \u201cbox\u201d refers to the boxes of gifts employers gave to their servants on the day after Christmas \u2014 in wealthy households, servants were often required to work on Christmas Day, but give the day after off to celebrate the holiday on their own. All good stories\u2026. but no one knows for sure.
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Yesterday was Boxing Day \u2014 it lands on December 26 every year. It\u2019s a day for giving, especially to the less fortunate. It\u2019s the day after Christmas \u2014 of course it\u2019s not as widely celebrated as Christmas here in the … Continue reading