It's Boxing Day!
Happy Boxing Day! It's an official state holiday here at The Society for the Advancement of Dave.I come from a Canadian family; both my parents hail from the lovely horizontal province of Saskatchewan. Like many Anglophiles and residents of the Commonwealth of Nations, we celebrate Boxing Day, that secular holiday that lands on the day after Christmas.
For our family, Boxing Day is sort of Christmas Pt. II - it's a chance for the relatives to gather and exchange gifts, drink Scotch, and devour massive quantities of perogies and chicken wings. I look forward to Boxing Day even more than Christmas, primarily due to the aforementioned Scotch and perogies.
Mmm... perogies...
I'm a little fuzzy on the etymology of the term "Boxing Day," but the tradition stems from centuries past in Britain and Commonwealth countries like Canada, New Zealand, Australia, etc. when wealthy members of the upper classes gave presents to their household servants, who were stuck working for The Man on Christmas Day. It's a pleasant relic of a classist, stratified time when people knew their role in life. Thankfully, we live in (mostly) more egalitarian times, but the tradition endures.
Boxing Day has little to do with the masculine sport of boxing, but since it's a hell of a lot easier to find images of fisticuffs in comic books than it is to find images of aristocrats handing out presents to peasants, we'll go with scans of people pummeling one another. Because it's the holidays! A season of good cheer and face smashing!
Huzzah!
This entry was posted by David Campbell, on
Friday, December 26, 2008.
You can leave your response.
December 26, 2008 2:22 PM
Dave, how can you leave out an image from Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, the greatest boxing comic ever?
December 27, 2008 12:09 AM
Welcome back in the ring, sir. That rascally Sims has been taking dreadful liberties in your absence.
Also for American readers: in parts of the non-english speaking world, Boxing Day is still known as St. Stephen's Day. It's what they're singing about in "Good King Wenceslas". I fully look forward to the origins of the Boxing Day name to be explored in Neil Gaiman's upcoming guest stint on Booster Gold.
December 27, 2008 12:27 AM
I... I have no excuse for not including Superman vs Muhammad Ali.
None.
And that Sims IS a rascal, as well as a rapscallion. I wouldn't go so far as to call him a cad, but he may be a scoundrel.
December 27, 2008 9:08 AM
I...I'll bet that Neil Gaiman has a story about English Aristocrats Giving Presents to Their Servants! Somewhere. Or Alan Moore. Or Mark Millar.
December 27, 2008 3:46 PM
What comic is the J.R. jr art from?
December 27, 2008 6:26 PM
That's from Daredevil: The Man Without Fear #1, by Miller and JR Jr.
December 27, 2008 7:15 PM
Welcome back Dave!
December 28, 2008 3:19 AM
Remarkably wonderful to have you back in the non-corporate realm of blogging, good sir. Consider this and this my Boxing Day gifts to you.
June 27, 2009 6:42 PM
Let's see...
Rich folk employing people and paying them to do their jobs on the day when the most work needs to be done for the party to be had.
As told to me by MASH, Boxing Day is when the servants and employers switch roles.
Nothing wrong with that.
Besides, servants/butlers typically are pretty well-off, depending on how well-off the employers are.
That is to say, the servants could be taxi drivers or skycaps except that butlering makes more money.
Skycaps make lots of cash.
I'm leaving.
bastard.