Red Letter Days

December 26, 2008

Boxing Day

This holiday derives from the Old English custom of giving Christmas "boxes" to tradesmen, postmen, and servants. The original boxes were usually made of earthenware and contained money, which could be retrieved only by breaking the boxes open. These days, a gift of money is usually contained in a greeting card and given before the holiday. Where celebrated (Great Britain, Canada, and Australia), Boxing Day is welcomed as a quiet day of recuperation from the season's hectic festivities. It is also the biggest day of the year for soccer playoffs.

Start of Kwanzaa

For seven days beginning on December 26 and lasting through January 1, African Americans celebrate Kwanza, a relatively new holiday introduced in 1966 and named for the time of year when African tribes traditionally celebrated the first harvest of their crops. During Kwanza, people decorate their homes with straw mats, ears of corn, and a candleholder called a kinara. They light a candle in the home each evening and may exchange homemade gifts. The seven-day celebration ends with a feast, usually held at a community center and featuring music and dancing. This spiritual holiday focuses on seven basic principles: unity (umoja), self-determination (kujichagulia), collective work and responsibility (ujima), cooperative economics (ujamaa), purpose (nia), creativity (kuumba), and faith (imani).

The term "red-letter day" originates with the tradition of marking holy days in a church calendar in red. We use the term here to designate days of special significance in each month -- holidays, astronomical happenings, anniversaries of historic events, and days with memorable folklore attached. Information is drawn from the library of The Old Farmer's Almanac.

Every month you'll find a calendar of these "red-letter days" on the front page of Almanac.com.