I grew up in Eire, the place many individuals confer with the day after Christmas (December 26) as “St Stephen’s Day”, which is the feast day for the patron saint of horses.
Traditionally, this was additionally Lá an Dreoilín, or the “Wren Day”. Previously, a wren could be hunted, killed and introduced from door to door by “Wren boys”, who would sing a track and ask for cash in trade for burying the fowl.
These two may appear unrelated, however they’re not. Legend has it {that a} wren wronged St Stephen, flapping its wings and chirping in a bush through which the saint was hiding.
That gave his location away; wrens had been subsequently linked to unhealthy luck, and it was believed catching one would guarantee higher fortunes for the approaching 12 months.
This celebration is virtually extinct right this moment. But it surely does partly clarify why I heard “St Stephen’s Day” so usually as a child.
What about “Boxing Day,” although?
What does “Boxing Day” imply?
The BBC shared that “Boxing Day” was coined below Queen Victoria’s reign (this was when a whole lot of Christmas traditions actually took root within the UK).
On today, wealthy folks boxed up presents to present to the poor.
It had additionally historically been a time without work for servants, who “obtained a particular Christmas field from their masters,” the BBC added (arduous to not really feel like the entire “servant/grasp” dynamic takes slightly little bit of the magic out of the current, although, huh?).
Britannica mentioned that not everybody agrees on which one in all these occasions gave the vacation its identify.
Apparently, church buildings had been additionally concerned in “Boxing Day”. All year long, they collected donations in a field and – you guessed it – on 26 December, they gave the cash to these in want.
Some international locations deal with December 26 as a second Christmas
The Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, and Germany deal with December 26 as a second Christmas.
Boxing Day, in the meantime, is well known within the UK in addition to some Commonwealth international locations, together with Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
