Christmas

Boxing Day got its name when Queen Victoria was on the throne in the 1800s; and has nothing to do with the sport of boxing.

The name comes from a time when the rich used to box up gifts to give to the poor. The origin of the name has varied; with some believing that it’s derived from the opening of alms boxes that had been placed in churches for the collection of donations to aid the poor. Others, however, have help that it came from the boxes of gifts given to employees on the day after Christmas.

Boxing Day was traditionally a day off for servants; a day when they received a special Christmas box from their masters. The servants would also go home on Boxing Day to give Christmas boxes to their families.    

Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide. Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor; today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday.

The day also has religious connections as is celebrated as Saint Stephen’s Day in Ireland; and the Catalonia region of Spain.

In some European countries such as Hungary, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands; Boxing Day is celebrated as a second Christmas Day.

Churches also played a part in the creation of Boxing Day. Through the year, they would take money from church members in the form of a collection and hand it out at Christmas. Many of them stored the collection in a box, which they opened on Christmas Day. The money will then be handed out to the poor the next day which is Boxing Day.

As you enjoy and celebrate with your family and friends; do not forget to gift out a box to the less privilege, homeless, motherless; and God will reward the works of your hand.

 Happy Boxing Day from all of us at Terraskills

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Christmas (Mass on Christ’s Day) is of fairly recent origin. The origins of Christmas stem from both the pagan and Roman cultures. The Romans actually celebrated two holidays in the month of December. The first was Saturnalia, which was a two-week festival honoring their god of agriculture Saturn. On December 25th, they celebrated the birth of Mithra, their sun god. Both celebrations were loud parties.

Also in December, in which the darkest day of the year falls, the pagan cultures lit bonfires and candles to keep the darkness at bay. The Romans also incorporated this tradition into their own celebrations.

As Christianity spread across Europe, the Christian clergy were not able to curb the pagan customs and celebrations. Since no one knew Jesus’s date of birth, they adapted the pagan sacramental into a celebration of His birthday.

Hence, Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of the Christian religion; observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church, sharing meals with family and friends and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. Christmas Day has been a Federal holiday in most countries since 1870.

Significance of Christmas

The significance of Christmas is known to men, all over the world. Though it is true that Christams is celebrated as the day of the Birth of Christ into this world, yet it also symbolizes a very deeply significant truth of the spiritual life. Jesus Christ is the very personification of Divinity. He was born at a time when ignorance, superstition, greed, hatred and hypocrisy prevailed upon the land. Purity was forgotten and morality was neglected. In the midst of these conditions, Christ was born and He worked a transformation in the lives of people. He gave a new and a spiritual turn to the lives of man. There came a change upon the land. People started upon a new way of life/ thus a new era dawned for the world.

May this Christmas season bring you fond memories, happiness and laughter. Wish you all the best this Christmas season and throughout the year.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Terraskills    

For this and much more Information relating to employability skills, employment opportunities, career advancement, and entrepreneurship development; Join our Telegram and WhatsApp groups, and also follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.