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What is really ’Boxing Day’?
2005-12-26 09:00:57
By Deogratias Mushi
Today is Boxing Day.
Many of us, even in some developed rural areas of our country celebrate this day without understanding its meaning and how it originated.
Encyclopedia Britannica says that the day after Christmas, the Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is better known as Boxing Day.
The term may come from the opening of church poor boxes that day; maybe from the earthenware boxes with which boy apprentices collected money at the doors of their masters’ clients.
Nowadays, we often see even in certain families, gifts (boxes) given to those who provide services throughout the year.
’’Boxing Day’’ is listed in the Canada Labour Code as a holiday.
Boxing Day is specifically a holiday celebrated in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada,(Also in Tanzania).
It falls on December 26.
St. Stephen was a little known saint who achieved eternal fame by being the first Christian to be martyred for his faith, and he met his death by stoning.
Boxing Day is so called because on this day it was the customary for tradesmen to collect their Christmas boxes or gifts in return for good service throughout the year.
Also, it included giving money and other gifts to charitable institutions, and the needy.
The holiday may date from as early as the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is not known.
It may have begun with the Lords and Ladies of England, who gave Christmas boxes/gifts to their servants on December 26, or maybe by priests, who opened the church’s alms (charity boxes), and distributed the contents to the poor and needy.
In England for example, this day has become part of the celebrations, of being with family.
A day to visit other relatives, and to have a rest from the day before, to play fun games. Some families, buy a new game each year, but still bring out the old favourites.
For some, it is good to have the two days, as on one of the days you can visit your parents, and the other day your inlaws.
St Stephen is also reffered to as the patron saint of horses, so Boxing Day became associated with horse-racing and hunting. Other sports which are also held on this day are like football and rugby (but not masumbwi).
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day is the Christmas season for the english people.
On this particular day, english people eat the left over turkey from the day before, but also prepare fresh vegetables and roast potatoes and all the trimmings(tiny sausages rolled up in bacon strips, chestnut stuffing for example, also cranberry sauce and bread sauce...a few little extras on the plate to make the dinner special).
Some people have turkey and cranberry sandwiches in the evening on Christmas day.
On boxing day, people like to change the pace, have a more relaxing day, especially for the ’’cooks’’ in the family.
Also a day to have something different to eat, some people have cold ham as the main dish to a cold buffet type meal. In the UK, they put together a buffet of cold foods, everyone can just help themselves to what they want, and how much they want.
Mainly it is a day people try not to cook, as the day before is always very busy in the kitchen, and it is nice not to expect the lady of the house to be in the kitchen on this second day of Christmas, and to spend more time with family and friends.
People on this day give money to the needy, others put a tiny gift into a box as one their own traditions.
- Happy Boxing Day
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