Fun Facts Friday: Boxing Day
28 December 2013 | Prickly Bay, Grenada
Robyn
First I have to apologize for not getting this posted on Friday. Here is a little bit of the back story. To begin with, from about midnight until around 6:00 AM on Christmas Day, we had a massive thunder storm the likes of which most of us have never seen. This storm parked itself over the Windward Islands with a ferocity I have never seen. We had continuous lightening (and thunder) from about 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM. When I say continuous, I mean it was literally continuous – the thunder was a continuous rumble that could be felt vibrating through the boat. The intervals between the lightening flashes were virtually infinitesimal. At times the lightening was less than two miles away! I was told by friends who were brave enough to venture out onto their decks (we were not) that you could see the lightening striking the hills and mountains surrounding us. I do not know how much rain fell, but I can tell you it rained pretty darn hard for a long time.
Here in Grenada we were lucky there was no significant property damage or loss of life, only the loss of our internet for a few days. The same can not be said for the islands of St. Vincent and The Grenadines, St. Lucia and Dominica. It has been reported that 18 people have died. The rain caused mud slides that have resulted in significant property damage and the power is still reported to be out in parts of St. Vincent. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people and communities of our island neighbors.
Now on to Boxing Day, our Fun Fact Friday topic!
Boxing Day is traditionally the day following Christmas Day, when servants and tradesmen would receive gifts, known as a "Christmas box", from their bosses or employers. It is observed in the United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago and other Commonwealth nations (i.e. Grenada).
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. This custom is also linked to an older English tradition: since the servents would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day, the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts and bonuses, and maybe sometimes leftover food.