| [GMCnet] What Does Boxing Day Mean [message #268289] |
Fri, 26 December 2014 09:46  |
k2gkk
Messages: 4452
Registered: November 2009
Karma: -8
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Senior Member |
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Here's some more "explanation."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ D C "Mac" Macdonald ~ ~~
~ ~ Amateur Radio - K2GKK ~ ~
~ ~ USAF and FAA, Retired ~ ~
~ ~ ~ Oklahoma City, OK ~ ~ ~
~~ ~ ~ "The Money Pit" ~ ~ ~~
~ ~ ~ ~ TZE166V101966 ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ '76 ex-Palm Beach ~ ~ ~
~~ k2gkk + hotmail dot com ~~
~ www.gmcmhphotos.com/okclb ~
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What Does Boxing Day Mean
When is Boxing Day?
In Britain, Boxing Day is usually
celebrated on the following day after Christmas Day, which is December 26th.
However, strictly speaking, Boxing Day is the first weekday after Christmas.
It's customary for householders to give small gifts or monetary tips to regular
visiting trades people (the milkman, dustman, coalman, paper boy etc.) and, in
some work places, for employers to give a Christmas bonus to employees. Schools
across the country gather together gifts to be put in Christmas Boxes that are
sent to poorer countries.
What does Boxing Day have to do with St. Stephen?
Traditionally, 26 December was the day to open the
Christmas Box to share the contents with the poor.
Boxing Day is also known as St. Stephen's Day (when Good King Wenceslas looked
out). Stephen lived in Rome and was the first man to be killed for
believing in the teachings of Jesus. His story is told in the Acts of the
Apostles 6: 1 to 8: 2. Some people claim that he shares this day with another St
Stephen, who came from Sweden. St Stephen of
Sweden is the patron saint of horses.
Was the Boxing Day tradition to protect ships?
During the Age of Exploration, when great sailing ships
were setting off to discover new land, a Christmas Box
was used as a good luck device. It was a small container placed on each ship
while it was still in port. It was put there by a priest, and those crewmen who
wanted to ensure a safe return would drop money into the box. It was then sealed
up and kept on board for the entire voyage. If the ship came home safely, the
box was handed over to the priest in the exchange for the saying of a Mass of
thanks for the success of the voyage. The Priest would keep the box sealed until
Christmas when he would open it to share the contents with the poor.
Was the Boxing Day tradition to help the poor?
An 'Alms Box' was placed in every church on Christmas
Day, into which worshippers placed a gift for the poor of the parish. These
boxes were always opened the day after Christmas, which is why that day became
know as Boxing Day.
Was the Boxing Day tradition a present for the workers?
Many poorly paid workers were required to work on
Christmas Day and took the following day off to visit their families. As they
prepared to leave, their employers would present them with Christmas boxes.
During the late 18th century, Lords and Ladies of the manor would "box up" their
leftover food, or sometimes gifts and distribute them the day after Christmas to
tenants who lived and worked on their lands.
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