26th December
Boxing Day/St Stephen’s Day
Source: The Irish Times website
Today is St Stephen’s Day, also known as Boxing Day. Stephen was the first Christian to be martyred for his faith. In the very early years of Christianity, the new religion was trying to work out its relationship with Judaism, but Stephen boldly trod unequivocal ground when he argued that the new Christian Law as summarised in Jesus’ teachings, should supersede Mosaic Law for believers. This blatant heresy did not go down well with the first century Jewish authorities, who had Stephen stoned to death in AD 35. Before his death, Stephen had been the Apostles’ treasurer and in charge of alms-giving to the poor. This connection then associated his feast day with gift-giving during the Christmas season.
The term “Boxing Day” has nothing to do with Christmas pugilism: rather it is a reference to the boxes carried by the poor after Christmas Day, begging for alms, food and hard cash from the better off. This tradition became popularised in the nineteenth century when the conscientious wealthy would give their domestic servants leave to take the day after Christmas off, and equipped them with gift boxes filled with presents or leftover food from their own Christmas dinners, to take to their families to help them celebrate the holiday. Boxing Day was the favourite day of the festive season on which mumming plays would be performed and Morris Dancers would take to the streets to celebrate Christmas. Today was also the day in which the Hunting the Wren ritual was performed. The wren had a mystical reputation, being viewed as the King of the Birds, but on St Stephen’s Day, it was quite literally fair game for the so-called Wren Boys. The tradition had its origins in the belief that the wren represented winter and its despatch in late December guaranteed the arrival of spring in the following year. The corpse of the tiny bird would be paraded from house to house laid on a wooden platform held aloft by a pole by the Wren Boys, who would sing a carol describing the demise of the bird while also seeking the gift of alms.
