Boxing Day

Boxing Day
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"Christmas box" redirects here. For the genus of shrubs, see Sarcococca.
Boxing Day
Eaton Centre Boxing Day, 2019.jpg
Boxing Day crowds shopping at Toronto's Eaton Centre.
Also called Offering Day[1]
Observed by Commonwealth nations
Type Bank holiday, public holiday
Date 26 December
Frequency Annual
Related to
Day of Goodwill
Saint Stephen's Day (concurrent)
Second Day of Christmastide
Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December).[1] Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to poor people, today Boxing Day forms part of Christmas celebrations, with many people choosing to take advantage of Boxing Day sales. It originated in Great Britain and is celebrated in several countries that previously formed part of the British Empire. The attached bank holiday or public holiday may take place on 28 December if necessary to ensure it falls on a weekday. Boxing Day is also concurrent with the Christian festival Saint Stephen's Day.

In parts of Europe, such as several regions of Spain,[2][3] the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Slovakia,[4] Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Norway, and Ireland, 26 December is Saint Stephen's Day, which is considered the second day of Christmas.[5]



Etymology
There are competing theories for the origins of the term, none of which is definitive.[6]

The European tradition of giving money and other gifts to those in need, or in service positions, has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown; it may reference the alms box placed in the narthex of Christian churches to collect donations for the poor. The tradition may come from a custom in the late Roman/early Christian era wherein alms boxes placed in churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen,[7] which, in the Western Christian Churches, falls on the same day as Boxing Day, the second day of Christmastide. On this day, it is customary in some localities for the alms boxes to be opened and distributed to the poor.[1][8]

The Oxford English Dictionary gives the earliest attestation from Britain in 1743, defining it as "the day after Christmas day", and saying "traditionally on this day tradespeople, employees, etc., would receive presents or gratuities (a "Christmas box") from their customers or employers."[9]

The term "Christmas box"[10] dates back to the 17th century, and among other things meant:

A present or gratuity given at Christmas: in Great Britain, usually confined to gratuities given to those who are supposed to have a vague claim upon the donor for services rendered to him as one of the general public by whom they are employed and paid, or as a customer of their legal employer; the undefined theory being that as they have done offices for this person, for which he has not directly paid them, some direct acknowledgement is becoming at Christmas.

In Britain, it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year.[11] This is mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary entry for 19 December 1663.[12] This custom is linked to an older British tradition where the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families since they would have had to serve their masters on Christmas Day. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses, and sometimes leftover food. Until the late 20th century there continued to be a tradition among many in the UK to give a Christmas gift, usually cash, to vendors, although not on Boxing Day as many would not work on that day.[13]

In South Africa, vendors who normally have little interaction with those they serve are accustomed to knocking on the customers' doors to ask for a "Christmas box", being a small cash donation, in the weeks before or after Christmas. This practice has become controversial, and some municipalities ban staff from asking for Christmas boxes.

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Zwischen den Jahren


Dieser Artikel beschreibt die Redewendung Zwischen den Jahren. F;r den gleichnamigen Film siehe Zwischen den Jahren (Film).
Zwischen den Jahren beschreibt als Redewendung heute in der Regel die Zeit zwischen Weihnachten und Silvester/Neujahr, die in der Schweiz Altjahrswoche genannt wird. Urspr;nglich umfasste der damit gemeinte Zeitraum entweder die sogenannten Raun;chte (auch zw;lf heilige N;chte, Zw;lfn;chte genannt) oder die Zeit zwischen dem Ende des alten Jahres (24. Dezember) und Beginn des neuen Jahres (6. Januar). W;hrend der Zeitraum zwischen den Jahren wegen der christlichen Feste eine sehr unterschiedliche Anzahl von Br;ckentagen aufweist, liegen die Raun;chte fest zwischen dem 21. Dezember (Wintersonnenwende) und dem 6. Januar. F;r den Zeitraum zwischen Weihnachten (25. Dezember) und Erscheinung des Herrn (6. Januar) ist auch der Begriff zw;lf Weihnachtstage (kurz auch die Zw;lften) gel;ufig. Auch die Bezeichnung Zwischen den Feiertagen ist gebr;uchlich.