Spirit of giving fills Boxing Day
Today, the day after Christmas, is Boxing Day. The holiday's roots can be traced to Britain, where Boxing Day is also known as St Stephen's Day.
Boxing Day traditions include giving money and gifts to charitable organisations, needy individuals and people in service jobs.
In the middle of the 19th century under Queen Victoria's rule, Boxing Day became a holiday as boxes were filled with gifts and money for servants and tradespeople.
The poor went from door to door with empty boxes, which would soon be filled with food, Christmas sweets and money.
Parents gave their children small gifts such as oranges, handkerchiefs and socks. People also packed their old clothes into boxes to give to those in need.
Today, Boxing Day is still a holiday in Britain, Canada and other Commonwealth nations.
Many organisations follow the original tradition by donating gifts for children who live in poverty or to help families in need.
There are various versions of the origins of Boxing Day. The most common one is that in the old days, on the day after Christmas, after all the partying was over and it was almost time to go back to far-flung homesteads, serfs were presented with their annual allotment of practical goods.
What one received was determined by his status and the size of his family. 'Gifts' included spun cloth, leather goods, food and tools. There was nothing voluntary about the event. The lord of the manor was obligated to supply these goods.
The items were chucked into boxes, one box for each family. Thus, the day came to be known as Boxing Day.
