Boxing Day

On December 26, Boxing Day is widely celebrated in England and some countries of the British Commonwealth of Nations: New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Samoa and Kiribati. Recently the holiday appeared in Norway. There is no such tradition in Russia yet. On the second day of Christmas, St. Stephen's Day is celebrated. And Boxing Day is often associated with this holiday, they are so closely intertwined. However, these are two different stories. Although, for those celebrating, this is a great reason to continue family meetings. Boxing Day literally translates to “Boxing Day,” probably because of the containers in which holiday gifts are usually packaged. The history of its appearance goes back quite deeply, but it was declared a day off and given official status only in the last century. There are several assumptions regarding the origin of the holiday, but they all have a charitable background. At Christmas, gifts were exchanged between family members, relatives and friends. And the very next day people from needy families received treats and gifts. Everything that was brought to church for Christmas was distributed to the poor. Noble people gave gifts to their domestic workers and servants. Merchants - traders and assistants; workers received gifts in factories. Each enterprise owner tried to encourage his employees. They were given a day off and bonuses were given. In the old days, fox hunting was traditionally held, and English nobles, dressed in scarlet uniforms, mounted horses. Now hunting is prohibited, but in memory of the tradition, spectacular horse races are organized in many countries. In general, a lot of sports competitions are held on December 26th. This is how annual yacht races and cricket matches begin in Australia. Today the holiday is distinguished by colossal sales. Every store, from a small shop to a huge shopping center, reduces the cost of its goods by half. Only on Boxing Day you can buy any products with a 50% discount. Therefore, on December 26, trade is three times faster than before Christmas. Every person wants to present as many souvenirs as possible to their colleagues and acquaintances. The British are distinguished by increased attention to their colleagues, acquaintances, and neighbors. Therefore, they try to congratulate everyone, and, if not give a gift, then at least write a few warm words. On this day, the country's postmen deliver more than a billion postcards to recipients.