Jumat, 10 Maret 2017

History of Boxing Day: Harmonization of football and Christmas (part 1)

In the United Kingdom, the vocabulary of "Ministry" is meaningless. Not only in situations of State with Queen Elizabeth II as a symbol, but also a matter of sports affairs named the football became more popular there.

Real evidence, take a look at Boxing Day period in all the official United Kingdom League competition levels. Amid the atmosphere of Christmas, millions of supporters, sometimes with his family, come to the stadiums for the sake of watching their favorite teams compete.

The relationship between the Ministry and the Boxing Day already created since hundreds of years ago. The history records, the term Boxing Day became popular around the 19th century epoch of Great Britain still in the power of Queen Victoria.

Celebration of Boxing Day was originally built as appreciation to the people of the lower castes who had served his master for a full year, even on Christmas day, which is usually made of time get together with family.

The form of appreciation in the form of a box (box) containing a variety of gifts, as well as rations holiday on December 26, one day after Christmas. Along its development, delivery of boxes of gifts that is what gave rise to the term Boxing Day in the history of the life of the United Kingdom society.

Read also: Catering Jogja

History of Boxing Day: Harmonization of football and Christmas (part 1)


Now no longer any gifts intended for the servants or lower class society, but more universal regardless of skin color, ethnicityor social strata. In addition, the celebration of Boxing Day also did not just happen in the United Kingdom, but also their Commonwealth countries.

Even though it has developed, the Boxing Day retaining purity, which is swathed in the warmth of Christmas. Therefore, sometimes there are some communities that choose silence in the House to simply spend some time together family and exchanged gifts.

On the other hand, any economic sector have an important role that keeps the tradition of Boxing Day can last up to the current era. That's the thing that makes the shops extend operational activity with more open morning and close late into the night on December 26.




Football Gifts
Despite the activity of sharing and hunting activity of society Prize in United Kingdom, football also do not miss the spotlight Boxing Day. According to historical records, long before the era of modern football, the first game created by Boxing Day on December 26, 1860 between Sheffield FC and Hallam FC, fighting at Sandygate Road.

Sally Mitchell in his Daily Life in Victorian England (1996) wrote, since the era of the 1800 's, the United Kingdom had already begun designing the establishment of official sports organizations to be professional. At that time, soccer was already in the heart of the Community United Kingdom who sometimes play it when there is a break or holiday work.

The range of 1840 to 1860, standardization and then went into effect. Each school has prompted the uniform-uniform specifically so that it can compete each other each other. In 1863, United Kingdom Football Association (FA) was formed, along with the emergence of the professional clubs until the formation of the Football League in 1888.

Interestingly, the inauguration of the first season of the Football League also held on Boxing Day, i.e. the period December 26, 1888, which were a match Preston North End against West Bromwich Albion. The question is, why is it such an important event staged the FA during the Boxing Day?

History of Boxing Day: Harmonization of football and Christmas (part 1)


In The Victorian Football Miscellany (2013) by Paul Brown, described, during the 1880 's, the United Kingdom, particularly community residing in strata employees, consider the celebration of Christmas is a holiday that is very rare, while then-football is one of the entertainment available to them.

Therefore, rather than have to listen to the Queen's speech from radio or television,several United Kingdom communities usually prefer wearing a winter jacket and hatSanta Claus went out of the House to tussle with the family or their peers, while watching a football game.

The event then became a tradition inherent in the life of society United Kingdom each entered the final period of the year. By the time the Football League were suspended because of the first world war was going on, the excitement of football during the Boxing Day is not lost.

In fact, it had happened the moment interesting kala soldiers Germany and United Kingdom Kingdom who fought each other to "stop" a truce to celebrate Christmaswhile playing football in 1914. The event is known as the Christmas Truce of 1914.


"It was the most bizarre Christmas celebration we've ever seen," said CI Stockwell, one of the then-living witness status as captain of the Royal Welsh Fusillers, as reported by The Guardian newspaper Edition December 24, 2014.

The Christmas Truce of 1914 as well as community activities United Kingdom celebrate Christmas on finally growing harmonization among thicken football and Boxing Day. Since then, the Boxing Day tradition in the world of football to become the most-awaited United Kingdom society.