Boxing Day

Today is the day after Christmas and to everyone living in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, it is called Boxing Day.
Now maybe you have seen the small writing on US calendars for years and always wondered, as I did, what in the heck is "Boxing Day"? I have been asking my new Aussie friends for the last several weeks for a definition and danged if they can tell me, except it is a public holiday, a huge shopping day and has nothing to do with pugilists or boxing up your Christmas decorations.
With a little bit of research, I still can't find the exact reason it's called Boxing day but I've learned that traditionally it was a day for the Upper Class to give gifts (boxes?) to the less fortunate members of society, also the day is historically England's name for St. Stephen's Day - the first Christian martyr in Jerusalem A.D. 34-35.
Today is also the start of the famed Sydney to Hobart (Tasmania) yacht race and a one day Boxing Day Test (cricket game) always held in Melbourne - this year between Australia and South Africa. Summer is cricket season here (very big!) and we have yet to completely understand all the rules of the game, maybe more about that later. One little mind boggling tidbit though; cricket games or tests, can last up to 3 days! Now there's an interesting sport where you can stop play, go home, rest, and come back the next day to resume play!
We tradionally see a movie on Christmas day but were delayed until today to see "Australia". Naturally everything about the movie has been huge down here and every Aussie I've asked about it has loved it. We also enjoyed it very much. Yes, it's long and the story line is a little weak but the cinematography is wonderful and for me watching Hugh Jackman on the big screen was not a hardship! I never knew that the Japanese bombed Darwin Australia in Feb. 1942, as shown in the movie. My wonderful older neighbor, Juelle, had an Aunt living in Darwin but thankfully visiting family in Queensland at the time of the attack. Her beauty parlor was leveled. What is utterly amazing is the government kept the news of the attack from the rest of the country until after the War for fear of public panic. Wow! now that's a cover-up!
Roy has all next week off work so we're off to explore the hinterlands. Drive-about!