To the rest of the English-speaking world.

Now...can one of you explain just what the heck it is?



Chris.

A day to let food digest!!!!!

was supposed to be the day when you reboxed gifts you didnt want to return to shops or when rich people reboxed gifts and gave them to the less fortunate.

i understand it was an english thing.

down here sometimes it is when people just blue (fight) over what happened on christmas day when people were drunk haha.

kath

Hooray!
I knew it would come one time only, as Andy Wharhol said 'everyone can be famous for 15 minutes' - is this mine?
Chris, Boxing Day can you imagine my delight and excitement when I spotted the post? Someone other than me (and maybe PaulFirst) understands we over here have a Boxing Day, actually I believe Canada, New Zealand and Australia also recognise it and refer to it as such. The name dates to the Middle Ages but the exact origin is not really known. What is known is that it began in Britain. Hence, I suppose, the recognition the commonwealth countries afford it.

So where does it come from? Well here are a couple of (3) ideas of how it came about - personally I love the third idea but I believe the first is the more accurate:-

1.The day after Christmas, is actually The Feast of St. Stephen. St Stephen was a Christian martyr,(I believe the first - he was stoned to death). The Boxing Day label most likely comes from the opening of church poor boxes on that day, the money was then distributed to the poor of the parish.

2. The Lords and Ladies of England, who gave Christmas boxes/gifts to their servants on December 26.

3. It is it all tied up with Speakers Corner in Hyde Park London. The day after Christmas Day was the time people would head to the park to listen to the speakers talk. As the size of the crowds grew the speakers had to stand on boxes to be seen by the crowds hence the expression Boxing Day attributed to the day after Christmas Day. LOL.

Now are you familiar with the term fortnight?
I have had many a long conversation with my good Boston friends into that one!
Happy Boxing Day Every one
Jean

Thanks!

I've plowed through enough annotated works of the Bard to know that "fortnight" means two weeks; it's a very old word. Over here in the Colonies a few of us still study the literature of the Sceptered Isles.

The word is used more here than you might imagine. I've heard TV news anchors use it, Peter Jennings of ABC in particular. Come to think of it, he was posted to London for a number of years...

Chris.

A little trivia for you...Peter Jennings is Canadian...which also might account for his use of 'proper' English!

I wouldn't necessarily claim "proper" use of the Queen's English north of the border, eh?

Did you know that Jennings finally became a US citizen after all these years?

Chris.

Whatever do you mean...EH?? lol!

I was aboot (I mean 'about') to tell you that Jennings is an American citizen now...we lose all the good ones!! lol!!

Kara

Well, I don't know where it originated but I do know around here it means...shopping for bargains! And the shopping event that used to be one day only has now extended to a Boxing Week of sales.

I've spent my share of money this week, I tell you.