Barnett Demesne公园中在白雪覆盖的山坡上玩耍的一家，北爱尔兰贝尔法斯特 Families play on the snow-covered slopes at Barnett Demesne Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland (© Stephen Barnes/Alamy)

Barnett Demesne公园中在白雪覆盖的山坡上玩耍的一家，北爱尔兰贝尔法斯特 Families play on the snow-covered slopes at Barnett Demesne Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland (© Stephen Barnes/Alamy)

Happy Boxing Day!

That 'Boxing Day (UK)' printed on your calendar's December 26 square has nothing to do with the sport of boxing—although for many modern Brits, Aussies, and other denizens of the Commonwealth, the holiday's full slate of TV sporting events is the main observance. Folks with enough post-holiday energy might even slide down the hills at the grounds of this historic estate-turned public park, Barnett Demesne, in Belfast.

But in older traditions, December 26 was the day nobles and other property owners offered gifts to servants and employees. It's not clear if 'boxing' refers to the boxes that held these presents, or to donation boxes customarily set up for the poor on the holiday—nor if these were so much gifts as reminders of one's place on the feudal social ladder. But at any rate, as you shop those big sales and munch those tasty leftovers today, consider paying homage to Boxing Day's origins by doing a good turn for someone down on their luck.

节礼日快乐！

尽管对许多现代英国人、澳大利亚人和其他英联邦居民来说，这个节日的主要庆祝活动是一系列的电视体育赛事，但印在日历12月26日方格上的“节礼日（英国）”与拳击运动毫无关系。在贝尔法斯特的巴尼特德梅斯内，有足够精力的人甚至可能会在这个历史悠久的庄园改造成的公共公园里滑下山来。

但在古老的传统中，12月26日是贵族和其他财产拥有者向仆人和雇员赠送礼物的日子。目前还不清楚“拳击”是指装这些礼物的盒子，还是指节日里为穷人设立的捐款箱，也不清楚这些礼物是否只是提醒人们自己在封建社会中的地位。但不管怎样，当你今天在那些大卖场购物，大嚼那些美味的剩菜时，不妨考虑为那些运气不好的人做一个好运祝福，以此向节礼日的起源致敬。