velocipedio
12-26-01, 08:35 AM
Xmas is over!
Happy Boxing Day!
Happy Boxing Day!
General Cycling Discussion - Happy Boxing day!
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RonH
12-26-01, 10:56 AM
Yeah, Happy Boxing Day!!
I did some research on the internet and still don't fully understand what it's all about. :confused:
I did some research on the internet and still don't fully understand what it's all about. :confused:
Chris L
12-26-01, 02:31 PM
In this country it's like everything else, people taking any opportunity for a public holiday to get blind drunk and pester the poor souls (like me) who work for the TAB. I shouldn't complain though, if they wanna pay for my bike stuff with their disposable income :D
Chris L
12-26-01, 02:32 PM
Hey, I just got my 2,000th post.
Ra!
Ra!
LittleBigMan
12-26-01, 05:44 PM
Velocipedio,
I noticed "Boxing Day" on the calendar. What the **ll is "Boxing Day? (Maybe Chris defined it! ;) )
I noticed "Boxing Day" on the calendar. What the **ll is "Boxing Day? (Maybe Chris defined it! ;) )
velocipedio
12-26-01, 06:11 PM
In parts of the world that used to be part of the British Empire -- and are now mostly part of the Commonwealth -- the day after Christmas is called Boxing Day.
December 26 is, as you may know, is St. Stephen's Day[the "feast of Stephen" in "Good King Wenceslas"]. I'm not quite sure how the boxes came into it, but the tradition of Boxing Day had to do with giving charity and gifts to the less fortunate -- sort of Christmas for strangers. The boxes may have something to do with the boxes that were used to collect gifts for the poor in the 19th century. Since America broke from the mother country in the 18th century, you missed all that.
I've always felt a bit closer to the idea of Boxing Day because it seems to be much more socially engagé than the family Christmas, and because it's a lot quieter. It also marks the end of Christmas hype.
In most of the Commnwealth, Boxing Day is a holiday from work and, in these materialistic times, it is the day when everyone lines up for post-Christmas sales.
St. Stephen's was also a very important part of the mumming tradition of "hunting the wren." The wren was traditionally seen as a winter bird, and with Christmas past, children would hunt and kill a wren to symbolically kill winter. You'll note that the days will start getting noticeably longer, and I suppose there was some sympathetic magic of the Celtic/Anglo Saxon variety in that. A variety of mumming traditions and activities continues from Christmas Day to Old Christmas Day on Epiphany [the twelve days of Christmas].
Since St. Stephen's marks the hoped-for death of Winter, I'm all for that, too.
So Happy Boxing Day!
December 26 is, as you may know, is St. Stephen's Day[the "feast of Stephen" in "Good King Wenceslas"]. I'm not quite sure how the boxes came into it, but the tradition of Boxing Day had to do with giving charity and gifts to the less fortunate -- sort of Christmas for strangers. The boxes may have something to do with the boxes that were used to collect gifts for the poor in the 19th century. Since America broke from the mother country in the 18th century, you missed all that.
I've always felt a bit closer to the idea of Boxing Day because it seems to be much more socially engagé than the family Christmas, and because it's a lot quieter. It also marks the end of Christmas hype.
In most of the Commnwealth, Boxing Day is a holiday from work and, in these materialistic times, it is the day when everyone lines up for post-Christmas sales.
St. Stephen's was also a very important part of the mumming tradition of "hunting the wren." The wren was traditionally seen as a winter bird, and with Christmas past, children would hunt and kill a wren to symbolically kill winter. You'll note that the days will start getting noticeably longer, and I suppose there was some sympathetic magic of the Celtic/Anglo Saxon variety in that. A variety of mumming traditions and activities continues from Christmas Day to Old Christmas Day on Epiphany [the twelve days of Christmas].
Since St. Stephen's marks the hoped-for death of Winter, I'm all for that, too.
So Happy Boxing Day!
JonR
12-26-01, 06:13 PM
Excellent informative reply, velocipedio. Thank you!
LittleBigMan
12-26-01, 07:38 PM
Ol' hillbilly Pete had images of Muhammed Ali...
Chris L
12-26-01, 07:44 PM
Originally posted by Pete Clark
Ol' hillbilly Pete had images of Muhammed Ali...
It's not so bad. I had images of the decidely less classy Anthony Mundine!
Ol' hillbilly Pete had images of Muhammed Ali...
It's not so bad. I had images of the decidely less classy Anthony Mundine!
aerobat
12-26-01, 11:25 PM
And a happy Boxing Day to you too, Velocipedio.
I always think of it as a day to rest up from Christmas, although this year I had to work the evening shift both Christmas and Boxing Day! Oh well, it wasn't too busy and there's the Stat pay.
I always think of it as a day to rest up from Christmas, although this year I had to work the evening shift both Christmas and Boxing Day! Oh well, it wasn't too busy and there's the Stat pay.
Ellie
12-27-01, 04:35 PM
I understood that it was the day when the masters gave their servants presents in boxes. I also heard somewhere that it was a day when the masters served the servants, just for a change. I don't know how widespread that was! ;)
We still have it, but I don't think anyone I know celebrates it. Most people I know spend it sleeping off their hangovers! :)
Ellie
We still have it, but I don't think anyone I know celebrates it. Most people I know spend it sleeping off their hangovers! :)
Ellie