Category: Celebrations & Holidays

Boxing Day is the name given to the day after Christmas Day ~ in other words, the 26th of December. It is a Bank Holiday in the UK. However, there are many areas of life that continue regardless of the holiday ~ football, for example. Many shops open on Boxing Day, too, and start their ‘winter sales’ on that day. These can attract thousands of families looking for bargains.

The name ‘Boxing Day’ is said to refer to boxes of money or gifts which were given to servants and the poor in Victorian times.

(Top image: Pete Edgeler at Flickr.com / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

April Fools’ Day is on 1st April each year and in Britain it lasts until 12 noon. It is a morning when, if you play a practical joke on someone, you can declare them to be an “April Fool!” and laugh at their shame. If you dare to play your prank after midday, however, then it is YOU who is the Fool.

In 1957, the BBC decided to play an April Fool on the nation, with this story about spaghetti growing on trees:

This was so successful that it encouraged other organisations, newspapers, advertisers and celebrities to broadcast their own April Fool hoaxes ever since. These appeal to people’s satisfaction of being ‘in on the joke’ and mocking those who are not, until it is pointed out to them, and then everyone can join in.

The best April Fool jokes are ones that the victim finds funny, too. Hurtful or nasty pranks are not in the spirit of the day.

(Top image: Marco Verch Professional at Flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

Father’s Day is on the third Sunday of June, so, unlike Christmas Day for example, it is not on the same date every year. It is not a public holiday and as it is on a Sunday, people do not take time off work to celebrate it.

It is a day to honour your father or step-father, perhaps with a thoughtful treat, outing or visit. Handmade Father’s Day gifts are often made by children in schools and nurseries, or in voluntary clubs such as the Girlguiding and Scouting movements. On the day, families may make a special effort to go out to restaurants or to family leisure attractions.

(Top image: pxhere.com)