Boxing Day

When I hear "Boxing Day", I always thought of a bunch of guys with boxing gloves ready to duke it out. I learned yesterday that's not really what it is.

Boxing Day, traditionally, is a day to share with the poor. An Alms Box was placed in the church on Christmas Day, into which worshippers placed a gift for the poor of the parish. These boxes were opened the day after Christmas, which is why its known as Boxing Day. Cool, huh?

Other Boxing Day traditions:

Boxing Day Hunt: Horse riders in red & white riding gear, accompanied by a number of foxhounds, chase a fox through the countryside.
In Nov 2004, MPs voted a ban hunting w/ dogs in England & Wales. As from Feb 18, 2005 hunting w/ dogs became a criminal offense. Although it is still legal to exercise hounds, chase a scent and flush out foxes to be shot. Hmmm...that makes sense.

Many families watch sports, play board games or take a walk through the countryside together.

And just like any good holiday, its gone completely away from how it was intended due to greed of man, and is now a big shopping day! Lots of Brits spend their early morning in queues (lines), waiting to be first through the doors.
What used to be a day off for the lower class, to help the lower class, is now a work day for them in the shops so everyone else can spend money. Sad, really.

I enjoyed learning about Boxing Day and look forward to celebrating it in the future!