Well, it is the day after Christmas, and our loved ones are still celebrating. Are they over the Christmas celebration? Maybe or maybe not. Just in case individuals are wandering, this holiday is known as Boxing Day.
It is not a day when all of the boxing contenders get together and have a fight club. Many Americans do not know the significance of this holiday although it is marked on the calender. There is a reason for that! Boxing Day is hardly celebrated in the United States. Even though this holiday is celebrated in countries such as Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada, many people do not understand why they are off work the day after Christmas. Boxing Day is not a very clear holiday, not even to individuals who reside in these countries.
Many people has interpreted this holiday as individuals giving back gift to the designated stores. As a result, Boxing Day is linked to hauling boxes of gifts that were no longer wanted on December 26.
All we know is that Boxing Day originated in the United Kingdom. In the UK, this holiday is also referred to as St. Stephen's Day. According to the origins of Boxing Day, the true purpose was to donate cash and/or durable goods to the less fortunate individuals. On the other hand, exchanging gifts among people from the same economic class took place either during Christmas Day or before the actual day. The gifts were very beneficial to the lower class people after Christmas.
There are many different versions of Boxing Day that people tell. I will mention two of these interpretations.
During the past centuries, the merchants donated fruit and floor to people who had connections to the trade and servants on December 26 as a tip for the season. As with many gifts, these gifts were a token to give thanks to the employees that worked for them. This is in the same way that a customer may tip the mail three dollars during the Christmas season for performing a great duty. During Boxing Day, of course, these gifts were placed in boxes. This is one theory on how the holiday Boxing became so renowned.
Unlike the first theory, this theory consists of churches having boxes of donations for the Christmas season. These donations were for the less fortunate and were opened on Christmas Day. The actual contents of the boxes were passed out by the church clergy the next day. The gifts in the alms box were given by the church parishioners who were not obligated to give these gifts. These parishioners were not affiliated with an employer/employer relationship. Therefore, Boxing Day can from a bunch of parishioners giving donations in a very huge box.
Regardless of the different theories of Boxing Day, this holiday is really about helping out the less fortunate. My conclusion on Boxing Day: individuals can believe anything that he/she desires to believe.
Source:
http://www.snopes.com/holidays/Christmas/boxingday.asp
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