For the benefit of colonial readers...
Boxing Day is a holiday traditionally celebrated the day following Christmas Day when servants and tradespeople would receive gifts, known as a "Christmas box", from their bosses or employers, in the United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and other Commonwealth nations.And here's two cartoonist's view of this ancient tradition separated by, I guess, some 100 years or so...
In Britain, it was a custom for tradespeople to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year. This is mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary entry for 19 December 1663. This custom is linked to an older English tradition: since they would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day, the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts and bonuses, and sometimes leftover food.
1 comment:
Sigh. I've always liked Boxing Day, almost more than Christmas Day, and as I grow older I like it more and more. I miss the days when no one did anything on Boxing Day but eat leftovers and play with their presents. Love the contrast between the two cartoons--although, come to think of it, perhaps they're both lampooning the effects of consumption/consumerism. Thank you for your blog and for your writing: always a delight. Merry Christmas!
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