The “second
day of Christmas” is December 26th, also known in some places as
Boxing Day! So, for the second day of
Patmas, I figured we could look at the second day of Christmas, learn a little
about it, and talk about two of the traditions that have popped up on this day
around the world!
Boxing Day
is a holiday when servants and tradespeople would receive gifts from their
superiors or employers, known as a "Christmas box". Today, Boxing Day is better known as a bank or
public holiday that occurs on December 26th, or the first or second weekday
after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in the United Kingdom, Hong
Kong, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and some other Commonwealth nations.
In some
European countries, notably Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Scandinavia, and the
Netherlands, December 26th is celebrated as the Second Christmas Day.
In Canada, Boxing Day takes place on
December 26th and is a federal public holiday. In Ontario, Boxing Day is a statutory holiday
where all full-time workers receive time off with pay.
Two major
traditions have popped up as part of Boxing Day…one older, and one newer!
Boxing Day Fox Hunt
Boxing Day is a popular day in the UK and U.S. for mounted fox hunters. Fox hunting involves the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of unarmed followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback. Hunters will gather dressed resplendently in red hunting coats to the sound of the hunting horn, and then let the hounds loose to track down the red foxes.
Despite fox
hunting being banned by the Hunting Act in 2004, Boxing Day remains the biggest
hunt of the year for most hunts in the UK by use of scent drag trails instead
of live quarry. Supporters of fox
hunting claim that the number of foxes killed has increased since the ban, that
hunts have reported an increase in membership and that around 320,000 people (their highest
recorded number) turned up to fox hunts on Boxing Day 2006.
Boxing Day Shopping Spree
In Britain, Canada, New Zealand and some states of Australia, Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday, much like the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. It is a time where shops have sales, often with dramatic price reductions. For many merchants, Boxing Day has become the day of the year with the greatest revenue.
Many
retailers open very early and offer doorbuster deals and loss leaders to draw
people to their stores. It is not
uncommon for long lines to form early in the morning of December 26th, hours
before the opening of shops holding the big sales, especially at big-box
consumer electronics retailers. Many
stores have a limited quantity of big draw or deeply discounted items. The High Street sales have the potential for
customer stampedes, injuries and even fatalities. Hey, don’t get in the way of
my deal! As a result, many retailers
have implemented practices aimed at managing large numbers of shoppers.
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But, we don’t
celebrate Boxing Day here in the United States!
So, I don’t have to give a crap!
Still, kind of funny that people elsewhere are looking for deals AFTER
Christmas, thus making it purely a selfish shopping trip. At least those shopping on our Black Friday
can claim they are shopping for their loved ones…getting gifts and
whatnot! Eh, either way, still too
commercial.
The fox
hunting sounds fun, though! Not sure I’d
look good in a red coat, though… Other
Boxing Day traditions revolve around sports…most notably elite level soccer,
rugby, and horse racing! That sounds
much more up my alley!
Anyways,
Boxing Day is a thing, so I figured I should mention it. The 12 Days of Patmas rolls on tomorrow with
a discussion about trees! Yup...trees!
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