WHAT IS BOXING DAY?

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEW 'GARDEN OF EADEN' WEBSITE AND SEED SHOP

If you have been brought up in an English speaking country, then the chances are that you would be very familiar with the bank holiday - Boxing Day. However, how many of us actually know what Boxing Day represents or the history behind it.

Well, Boxing Day is traditionally the day after Christmas day when wealthy people in the United Kingdom would give a box containing a gift to their servants. Today, Boxing Day is better known as a bank or public holiday that occurs on December 26 - as it does in the United Kingdon, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws of the country in which it is being celebrated. It is observed in this tradition in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

In South Africa, Boxing Day was renamed Day of Goodwill in 1994. In Ireland it is recognized as St. Stephen's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Stiofáin) or the Day of the Wren (Irish: Lá an Dreoilín). In the Netherlands, Lithuania, Austria, Germany, Scandinavia and Poland, December 26 is celebrated as the Second Christmas Day.

In Canada, Boxing Day takes place on December 26th and is a federal public holiday. In Ontario, Boxing Day is a statutory holiday where all full-time workers receive time off with pay.

Where does the term Boxing Day come from?

The exact meating behind the term "boxing" is unclear, and there are several competing theories, none of which are definitive. However, the tradition of Boxing Day has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions. The most likely theory of how the term Boxing Day came about has its roots in English history. For centuries it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year. This is even mentioned in Samuel Pepys' famous diary, notably his entry for 19 December 1663. This custom is linked to an even older English tradition where in exchange for ensuring that wealthy landowners' Christmases ran smoothly, their servants were allowed to take the 26th off to visit their families. The employers gave each servant a box containing gifts and bonuses, and sometimes leftover food.

Even today, it is still an accepted tradition in England for dustman and paperboys/girls to knock on the doors of their 'customers' to ask for and collect their 'Christmas Box'.

For more information click onto:
Can you Plant up a Christmas Tree after Christmas?
Can you Replant a Christmas Tree?
Charles Darwin's Greatest Experiment
Christmas Tree
Cloves and Cinnamon - Spices with the Sweet Scent of Christmas
Gardening Jobs For December
History of the Allotment
How Does Mistletoe Grow
How to Care for Your Cut Christmas Tree
How to Choose a Christmas Tree
How to Grow Mistletoe from Seed
How to Prepare for the Christmas Holidays
How to Propagate and Grow Mistletoe
How to Stop Christmas Trees from Dropping their Needles
Merry Christmas - From Where I Live
Poinsettia History and Tradition Story
Recipe for Traditional Christmas Cake
Recipe for Christmas Pudding
Sissinghurst Gardens - a secret history
Traditional English Christmas Pudding Recipe 
The History of Christmas
The History of Mistletoe Tradition
The History of the Primula Auricula
Types and Varieties of Christmas Tree
What has the Christmas cactus got to do with Christmas?
What is Boxing Day?
When is Boxing Day?

Based on an article by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day