Today is Boxing Day which falls on the 26th December - the day after Christmas Day. In the UK, this day is celebrated by watching (or playing) a little festive sport. If Christmas Day is for the family, then Boxing Day is when the men go out and watch the big local derby football game.
Canada, Australia, and New Zealand also celebrate Boxing Day is big. Could it be that the idea of Boxing Day is spreading to the USA? Usually it's the other way around we English import American concepts like Santa (Father Christmas).
Boxing Day history goes back at least to Medieval times in Britain. Christmas is a day for celebrating Christ's nativity. Then, Boxing Day or St Stephen's Day was the time for giving and receiving gifts. For the ordinary country working man, a Boxing Day present from the lord of the manor was particularly welcome. Incidentally, the 26th of December is also known as St Stephen's Day.Boxing Day Jokes
The origin of Boxing Day has nothing to with the art of pugilism, and everything to do with 'Christmas Box'. The idea started with a clay box used in artisan workshops. Apprentices, their masters, and their customers, would put gratuities into the box, which acted like a 'piggy bank'. Then on the day after celebrating Christmas, the box would be ceremonial smashed and the money shared among the workers.
Thus the origin of Boxing Day was all to do with a Christmas present or bonus. The phrase 'Christmas box' lives on as gift householders give to postmen, paperboys and dustbin [garbage collectors] that visit their home. It is NOT a time to punch your siblings or spouse or friends :-) although many do so in jest.
Nowadays people open their presents on Christmas Day so Boxing Day traditions involve visiting members of the wider family circle on 26th December. One by-product is having two Christmas meals in two days. By then, many are unsure if turkey is more
tasty hot on Christmas Day, or cold with mashed potato and pickle on Boxing Day.
In the UK and Ireland Boxing Day is a associated with fox hunting. Horse riders dressed in red and white riding gear, assisted by a pack of foxhounds, chase foxes through the countryside in the hope of running them to earth and killing them.
Townies think this barbaric and in 2004 British MPs voted to ban hunting foxes with dogs. This proved a particularly tough law to enforce, given that the majority of country people actively or passively supported fox hunting. Rightly, catching foxhunters was never going to be a police priority, and the foxhunters shrugged off their "hooray Henry" images when it cam to fighting case in court.
St Stephen's Day is always celebrated on 26th of December, however, Boxing Day, as in the public holiday, is celebrated on Monday 27th December whenever the 26th falls on a Sunday. The public holiday situation is even more complicated when Christmas Day falls on a Saturday, in these years Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th are public holidays to make up for the festivities falling at the weekend. As time goes on, this seems less of a problem has people have a Christmas week or even a Christmas fortnight of holidays.
This post was taken from THIS LINK.
Happy Boxing Day! Swing by later for some Boxing Day jokes which will be put up at 1.45p.m. Have a nice day!
25 comments to WHAT YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT BOXING DAY
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Anonymous boxing ? 'he stings like a bee & floats like a butterfly' !
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Anonymous Thanx for the info on Boxing Day. Further inquiry revealed the following from the wiki on BD:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day
"The name derives from the tradition of giving seasonal gifts, on the day after Christmas, to less wealthy people and social inferiors, which was later extended to various workpeople such as labourers and servants.
The traditional recorded celebration of Boxing Day has long included giving money and other gifts to charitable institutions, the needy and people in service positions. The European tradition has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown and there are some claims that it goes back to the late Roman/early Christian era."
Cyber Boxing Day:
"The online version of Boxing Day is known as Cyber Boxing Day, typically one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Popular websites like futureshop.ca, bestbuy.ca and ncix.com often crash during the start of their boxing day sales."
So, instead of shop till you drop, click and shop till you run out of creditworthiness on BD. :-)
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Unknown Hi Stephen,
:-) Happy St. Stephen's Day!
Oh no - you were in Penang and I did not get to meet you.
Am wondering if you are the spouse of a blogger friend I know ...
I have been staying at home since 23rd December and may go to town today for the same reason you expressed.
The traffic and road system needs a complete overhaul and we have to learn to carpool.
Here's wishing you a great weekend with your family. Take care and may God bless you always.
Cheers
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Unknown Dear Anonymous
Happy Boxing Day! You must be a fan of Mohd. Ali :-). So was i!!!
It was in Std 6 when we were allowed, amazingly, to watch the live telecast of Mohd Ali vs Cassius Clay in the school's AV room. What a cool teacher we had then!! :-)
Take care and have a good day.
Happy New Year to you too.
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Unknown Dear Anonymous @ 9.49 a.m.
Thanks for broadening the scope of my post with your info and links.
Love the last sentence of your comment:
So, instead of shop till you drop, click and shop till you run out of creditworthiness on BD. :-)
Thanks for swinging by. Take care and have a Boxing Day filled with clicks :-).
Happy New Year!
Cheers
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stephen Hi MWS,my deepest apologies as have been really busy these past few days getting caught in traffic jams and such!! Will definitely make it a point to meet up next.Being a cheapskate, I will definitely take you up on the offer of a free laksa!!I don't see a button to lead me to your email addy though(lucky you!).
If the blogger you're referring to is curvalicious,has a face like shu qi and speaks with a soft gravelly voice,then its NOT my spouse.(hehe just joking if me missus is reading this).
Now that X'mas is done and boxed, happy new year and may the authorities find out eventually how many parts/planes /engines/people are actually missing.
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Unknown Dear Anonymous @ 10.22 a.m.
Alamak! Mega embarrassment :-)!!!
I meant Joe Frazier...Aiyo...I turned a year older yesterday hehehe so brain malfunctioning now.
Love the shadow boxing comment LOL!!
Thanks for swinging by again :-).
Happy Boxing Day!
Cheers
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Kenneth It hurts me to learn that we had our 'Boxing Day' on the eve of Christmas, in the streets of Penang, of course!
Could it be that the idea of 'Boxing Day' has already spread to Malaysia??
Have a nice weekend!
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Unknown Dear Stephen
No worries! Please allow my family to treat you and your missus the next time you are in Penang...
I can be reached at :
lifeanditsmystery@gmail.com
The Malaysian Insider reported that some of the engine parts have found in Argentina!
I wonder what else they will unravel when they have a South American trip. :-)
The possibilities are endless -
Latin Connection?
African Connection?
(as according to newspaper reports...)
Take care and have a blessed new year.
Cheers
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stephen Jesus,I mean Christ,your B'day is on the 25th?!! You mean the whole world gets to celebrate your birthday- you are so lucky! You must have planned it all along,holding onto the umbilical cord in you mummy's tummy with a watch in your hand counting down the minutes!
Happy belated birthday!
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Unknown Dear Kenneth,
Thanks for your comment. I hope you were not there to watch the disgraceful behavior of some at Gurney Drive.
I never cease to be baffled as to how some people constantly ape unacceptable behavior to show a gung-ho attitude in life or to gain acceptance or to achieve fame of a different sort.
Why is there such a need to prove oneself via such activities? To be photographed by the press and receive accolades?
In the 20th century, delinquent behavior was frowned upon. Serious. Fast forward to the present. It is now 'cool' to ba a vandal...to participate in rowdy behavior etc.
Erosion of moral values and the structure of society not forgetting the poor examples set by some leaders seem to have confused many as to what is deviant behavior.
Reason : Definition of deviance is now so subject that what used to be 'unacceptable" is now acceptable.
Even when it comes to definition of law-breaking behavior when reactions differ for different groups of people.
To me, such patterns signify the disintegration of modern society...largely due to the impact of media and moviedom.
Sorry for the long response to your comment....
Thanks for being a civic-conscious Malaysian.
Take care and have a good day.
Happy New Year to you.
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Unknown Dear Stephen
Yes, my birthday is on Christmas Day and anniversary is on Christmas Eve. Think the conspiracy started even before I was born :-).
I remember my late mom telling me how difficult was her delivery. At Adventist Hospital, my mom was in labour for 13 hours or more (guess I was stubborn even before coming into this world haha) and by the time it was ready for me to make my grand entry into the world, the nurses had a tough time getting the doc cos he was at a church function.
That coupled with the fact that I was not an easy to kid to handle haha...meant that mom never wanted any other child....I lost her when I was 11 and miss her very much even now...
Thanks for the belated birthday wishes.
Take care and blessings to you and yours.
BLESSED NEW YEAR!
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Kenneth When things start to get rough and out of hand, and if you don't believe in what you are doing, then it is best that you give up.
Belief in what you are doing is the one thing that keeps you going. You certainly don't get fame or glory out of unacceptable, deviant, 'law-breaking' behavior, do you?
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Unknown Dear Kenneth
Thanks for swinging by again. True what you said...but just wish to add that some do get the wrong sort of fame and acceptance from those who don't subscribe to norms and values of society.
Take care and have a great weekend.
Cheers
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k a l a m b o n g Ah... my days back in the States
26th of December is my "Go buy new jeans day".
Jeans typically sell for 25 to 35 dollars on this special day carry a 4.99 dollar price tag.
I always back at least half a dozen pair of jeans to replace my old/worn ones.
How I miss those days.
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Village Boy As it is, our lives are dramas in which we enact the story. Let's all be brilliant performers in those dramas, using our talents, wisdom and our voices, being thoughtful, compassionate and considerate, so that we can proudly win in every endeavour.
God bless!
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Anonymous Today is the fifth anniversary of the catastrophic undersea earthquake and tsunami off Sumatra, Indonesia which killed an estimated 250,000 people.
Here is a haunting video, Green Island Serenade, for all the people affected by it.
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Unknown Dear Kalambong
Thanks for sharing your experience. I remember when I was in US, I used to visit those vintage shops and drool over those old jeans, Levi's corduroys and came home to salvage my old ones from my store-room. I believe one of my Levi's corduroys from 1973 is now worth a lot :-).
Imagine - in those days - Levi's were sold at 40-50RM compared to the current prices!
And I am still a denim lady, even at my age haha! Old habits die hard. Think I will still be donning jeans/skirts/jackets even when I am in my 50's or 60's :-). Can't imagine life without denim!
Take care and have a nice day.
Cheers
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Unknown Dear Village Boy
As always, thanks for your wise and inspirational messages. Life is full of choices and we must choose wisely lest we live in regret.
Take care and continue to let your light shine.
Have a nice day!
Cheers
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Unknown Dear Anonymous
Thanks for the reminder. I will try to do a post on this later...
Many thanks also for the link and the haunting melody...
May those who lost their loved ones or who were affected in one way or another by that tsunami be at peace and continue to be healed emotionally and physically.
Take care and have a nice day!
Best wishes
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k a l a m b o n g Dear Masterwordsmith,
After your mention of your old 1973 Levis corduroys my eyes brighten up, then I went checking on your favorite songs, movies, etc.
Holy molly. We are from the same era, and believe it or not, I'm also stuck with denim.
I go to work, to church, go shopping, and even to my friend's weddings I wear jeans.
And I couldn't agree more with this sentence of yours ---> "Can't imagine life without denim!"
:D
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Unknown Hi Kalambong,
Great news then!
Ah Pek and Ah Ee comrades--n-arms and dressed in denim too!
Evergreen and ever blue :-).
Take care and have a pleasant evening.
Happy New Year too.
Cheers
stephen That's an interesting story about the origins of boxing day. Well, since its my feast day too, I'm thinking food again before i head back south.Tried the laksa you recommended.it was yummylicious! Burp,thanks!
Only gripe is that it seems the whole of humanity has converged on tortoise island.Traffic is bumper to bumper and i swear to you,we have the worst drivers on this planet.I don't know why we bother painting yellowboxes,dividing lines and no parking signs-no one ever follows them! And have you noticed that its getting harder to find a parking lot these days? Just too many cars on the roads,something has to be done about improving public transport.We need a rail system,buses are out as the roads are too narrow.
I think of the 3Cs,tackling congestion should be the main priority as it lowers productivity,wastes precious resources and is pollutive.Cheers.