VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, [4], 5, 6 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 20:55:01 01/04/11 Tue
Author: BC
Subject: Folklore and tradition ...

I enjoy studying folklore and traditions...
and, being a boxing fan of sorts ...
'cause when someone mentions "boxing" - I immediately think of "Rocky" ...

Anyways...
being a "curious sort" - when Sephyra mentioned "Boxing Day" in her post not too long ago - I began a search ...
and, the following is taken from two articles I found ...

If it's ok I wanted to share it ...
Thanks!
- BC :)

"Sometimes, when you least expect it, things from the past will hit you from above. That’s what happened to me when I opened the attic and accidentally encountered a reminder of one of the most ancient, enduring, and magical Christmas related events.

"With a dull thud and a sprinkling of dust the faded cardboard box bearing the proud insignia of “Carnation Milk” (a concoction famous for coming from “contented cows”) fell to the floor spilling out its contents like a stevedore unleashing a cargo of jewels upon some foreign dockyard. These precious items captured a young heart and were secured in the treasure trove of attic crawlspace when a boy was putting aside the toys of childhood and moving on to the jumbles, joys, and journeys of adult life. Some would say this secret cache should have been thrown out years ago and maybe the hardliners are correct for the modern world allows little room for nostalgia. Still there is a brilliant streak of sentimentality that runs deep in most Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans like a vein of pure silver trapped in a mountain of hard granite. It is a hidden and deep-rooted resource that is hard to extract, but gives us inestimable wealth when we least expect it. We never quite understand at the time what makes us keep certain objects, but thankfully we do for, as we learn only much later, life is always about more than the bottom line."

"So there among “Hot Wheels” toy cars, a few old Valentines from the prettiest girls in the universe that comprised my Elementary School, and some badly damaged hockey cards (once used as “noisemakers” in the spokes of cherished “banana seat coaster brake” bicycles) sat something decidedly out of place. It was the strangest of items poking out of the tattered pages of a yellowed scrapbook and longing to be free. There, still defiant and comical after all these years, was the hand drawn caricature of a tiny winged creature done in red ink and attached to a short but stout handle so that a 10 year old could wave the contraption about with relative impunity. Blinking in disbelief I reached down and retrieved what is surely one of the few authentic “Wren Sticks” left in captivity. Forgotten were the Christmas decorations that had been the original objective of my quest as the floodgates of memories opened up. So join me for a quick trip through the past of both our province and Ireland as we explore the history and folklore of the small bird with an amazing pedigree. Despite a diminutive appearance this animal started a recitation, inspired numerous songs, outsmarted an eagle to become “King of All Birds” ..."

"In terms of “The Wren” tradition you probably fall into one of two camps. You have either heard of it vaguely or you haven’t heard of it at all. In reality, even those who upheld the ritual know very little about it. Most simply know it is an archaic practice kept on St. Stephen’s Day (or December 26th), which, of course, now called Boxing Day."

"Interestingly enough Boxing Day has its own fascinating folklore quite separate from “The Wren”. The name always sounded to me like it should involve Muhammad Ali and Smoking Joe Frazier in a fit of pugilistic showmanship for the “Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World”. Either that or it was the time reserved to stash our new Christmas presents or seasonal decorations in appropriate storage containers. Perhaps it refers to the lugging of unwanted items back to the “Return Counters” of major department stores? None of these definitions is even remotely close. Turns out that the term may have come from the custom of opening Church poor boxes (or “alms boxes”) on December 26 and distributing the contents to the needy. This was also the date on which members of the gentry would bestow cash or modest gifts to trades people, servants, and any members of the lower classes. No need to spend a lot of time wrapping these items so they were generally delivered in, you guessed it, boxes. There is much discussion about whether the practise started during the reign of Queen Victoria or if it dates back as far as the Middle Ages, but the truth of the matter is that, like so many gems of folklore, nobody really knows for sure. What can be acknowledged is that the holiday is primarily celebrated in England, Wales, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and various countries of the Commonwealth of Nations. Not surprisingly, the tradition did not catch on in the United States so, as a warning, many of our American neighbours might give you a quizzical look if you enquire about Boxing Day South of the border ..."

- taken from an article written by Dennis Flynn


"Boxing Day" in Australia ...
December 26 is the Boxing Day holiday celebrated throughout most of Australia ..."
Many important sports events are held on Boxing Day. The Boxing Day test match is a cricket game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game is between the Australian National cricket team and other national teams touring Australia. The match starts on Boxing Day and may last up to five days. Between 1999 and 2007, the Australian cricket team won all of the Boxing Day Test matches, marking a huge victory for the nation."

"Another important sporting event that starts on Boxing Day is the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. This is also known as the Bluewater Classic and covers a distance of 630 nautical miles between Sydney Harbour and Hobart on the island of Tasmania. Traditionally, it took about six days for the yachts to reach Hobart, but now the fastest yacht usually reaches the finish in less than two days. The media interest in these prominent sports mean television programs are dominated by sporting events on Boxing Day. People also spend the day travelling home from their relatives or to an intended destination for their summer holiday, which tends to coincide with the school holiday period."

"In some parts of Australia, the post-Christmas sales begin on Boxing Day. Stores offer their excess stock that was not sold before Christmas Day at reduced prices. Many people take advantage of the sales to buy products or services at significantly lower prices. However, some states, particularly New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, are reinforcing restrictions on stores opening on Boxing Day. In these states, the post-Christmas sales do not start until December 27."
- timeanddate.com

Last edited by author: Fri January 21, 2011 06:21:58   Edited 3 times.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.