It may have begun with the lords and ladies of England, who presented Christmas gifts in boxes to their servants on December Or it may have begun with priests, who opened the church's Alms charity boxes on the day after Christmas and distributed the contents to the poor. Some say the tradition stems from Roman times when money to pay for athletic games was collected in boxes.
Amongst the ruins of Pompeii, boxes made out of earthenware with slits in the top full of coins have been found. Later the Romans brought the idea of collecting boxes to Britain, and monks and clergy soon used similar boxes to collect money for the poor at Christmas. On the day after Christmas, the priests used to open the boxes and distribute the contents to the poor of the village. Thus this day came to be called Boxing Day. Panto for short is a traditional Christmas play where audience participation is expected.
Other well known pantomime characters include her sons Wishy Washy and Aladdin. Tradition says that to kill a wren is unlucky unless it's on Boxing Day. St Stephen was killed, reportedly stoned to death, for believing in Jesus.
In Ireland many years ago the Wren Boys would go out with blackened faces from burnt cork and would stone Wrens to death. They would then tie them to a pole decorated with holly and ribbons and carry their catch around the town knocking at doors and asking for money, food or a gift. In return for a donation the recipient received a feather from the Wren as a thank you. Today this barbaric act has stopped and the Wren boys go around town in fancy dress usually women's clothing carrying a stuffed bird in a cage.
Wren Boys sing carols and collect money that they give to charity. While government buildings and small businesses are closed, the malls are filled with people either exchanging gifts or buying reduced priced Christmas gifts, cards, and decorations.
Many children like to go and spend their gift vouchers that they received on Christmas Day. Most shops and department stores have reduced opening times and usually operate a Sunday time period. In Britain opening times are pm but some retailers open really early, typically 5am and offer huge discounts and sale items to attract people instore. It's quite common to see long queues forming early in the morning or overnight as shoppers are eager to grab the bargains on offer.
Recommended for you. How the Troubles Began in Northern Ireland. When Massachusetts Banned Christmas. Why Is Christmas Celebrated on December 25? Some suggest the tradition is even older than that, dating back to the Christianised late Roman empire, when similar collections were supposedly made for the poor in honour of St Stephen, but the evidence is sketchy.
It was no accident that Good King Wenceslas, who was actually a Duke of Bohemia in the 10th century, risked life and limb on a freezing winter night to feed some wretched peasant who had chosen a most inclement evening to gather winter fuel.
The problem in terms of dating when the Feast of Stephen became the day for alms-giving and box-opening is that the Good King Wenceslas hymn, which was written by John Mason Neale, dates from As with most things to do with Christmas, it was the Victorians who fleshed out the meaning of Boxing Day.
The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the s. What had previously been an amorphous tradition now, thanks to the structured minds and myth-making tendencies of the Victorians, became a seasonal necessity. As part of this seasonal beneficence, some employers in the Victorian period gave Christmas boxes to their staff. But throughout the s, attitudes towards playing sport on Christmas Day changed. The final Christmas Day football match took place in , leaving Boxing Day as the traditional festive fixture.
For many people Boxing Day actually only means one thing - leftovers!! Let's face it, many people prepare way too much food for Christmas Day and end up eating it for the next week!
Turkey curry, turkey pies and the famous turkey sandwich. Yum, looking forward to it already - we'll skip the leftover sprouts though Celebrities go all out for Christmas Jumper Day Doctor Who: The episodes from Christmas past. Where can you bin it? Christmas edition. These comments are now closed. Should the number of dislikes on YouTube videos be hidden?
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