THE ENGLISH CLUB

THE ENGLISH CLUB

29 de diciembre de 2012

DAY OF INNOCENT SAINTS

The Day of the Innocent Saints falls on the 28th of December. It is a festivity of religious origin. It is celebrated today as a fun and lighthearted day in which jokes are played on family and friends .It is the Spanish equivalent of April fools' day! 

The Day of the Innocents is a commemoration of Christianity: the killing of all children under two years born in Bethlehem (Judea), ordered by King Herod to get rid of the newborn Jesus of Nazareth .

Massacre of the Innocents is the biblical narrative of infanticide and gendercide by Herod the Great, the Roman appointed King of the Jews. The historicity of the incident is "an open question that probably can never be definitively decided", but according to the Gospel of Matthew. Herod ordered the execution of all young male children in the village of Bethlehem, so as to avoid the loss of his throne to a newborn King of the Jews whose birth had been announced to him by the Magi. 

Massacre of the Innocents - by Pieter Pauwel RUBENS

The number of infants killed is not stated, however the Holy Innocents have been claimed as the first Christian martyrs.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_the_Innocents

26 de diciembre de 2012

BOXING DAY




Boxing Day is the 26th December and is a national holiday in the UK and Ireland.

The exact etymology of the term "boxing" is unclear. There are several competing theories, none of which is definitive.The European tradition, which has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions, has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown. It may come from a custom in the late Roman/early Christian era, wherein metal boxes placed outside churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen, which in the Western Church falls on the same day as Boxing Day.

In Britain, it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year.This is mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary entry for 19 December 1663. This custom is linked to an older English tradition: Since they would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day, the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts and bonuses, and sometimes leftover food


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day
http://britishfood.about.com/od/christmas/p/boxingday.htm
http://gouk.about.com/od/whatsonindecember/qt/boxing_day.htm