St Stephens Day or Boxing Day is the Day after Christmas day in the UK. In Ireland it is St Stephens Day. It is the best sporting day of the year which may lead one to think that boxing occurred on this day too, but the origins are not from this at all.
In Sweden St Stephen was the patron saint of horses and this may have been the reason that hunting and racing traditionally occurred on this day.
However the name Boxing Day is so called for giving Alms to the Poor traditionally the day after Christmas. Often the poor had to work on Christmas day, so it made sense for Lords of the Manor in the late 18th century to box up leftover food and distribute them to their tenents/employees the following day
This tradition continues with the Christmas bonuses! But in Britain it is continued with most people always giving the milkman, postman, garbage collector etc.. a tip...probably the only time the British really tip willingly!
There were Alms Boxes placed in Churches too to distribute money to the poor.
There were Boxes placed on ships too to protect the ships and their crews, the sailors had to put money into to ensure that they would be kept safe until their return. Again this money was distributed by the priest who said Mass
for returning the ship safely.
No comments:
Post a Comment