By Vanessa Cort
IT is the most celebrated holiday on the Christian calendar, but is also enjoyed by religious groups the world over, who join in the festivities at this time.

Boxing Day, marks the second day of the season, which ends on the twelfth night, when, traditionally, all the decorations are taken down and packed away for another year. However, as Christmas Day fell on Sunday, the holiday will be given on Monday, pushing the Boxing Day holiday to Tuesday.

This is known as the season of goodwill, marking the birth of Jesus Christ, when we exchange gifts, eat and drink to our ‘heart’s content’ and generally make merry with friends, family and neighbours.

But while some of us were able to “shop till we dropped,” and stock up our homes with groceries, enjoying a sumptuous Christmas lunch with all the trimmings, others are homeless, with little or nothing to eat and are far from happy,

Millions in Africa are on the verge of starvation and natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, landslides and floods have caused thousands to lose their homes and belongings and in the United States floods are still wreaking havoc.

Torrential rainfall caused flooding here, in many parts of South America and the Caribbean, especially Trinidad and Tobago, where roadways became rivers of muddy water destroying all in its path.

It is a tribute to the indomitable human spirit that many residents, standing before the ruins of their homes talked optimistically about rebuilding or “wrote it all off” as the loss of material things and expressed their gratitude for just being alive.

And, contrary to popular belief, experts tell us that the suicide rate does not increase at Christmas but actually drops. In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states emphatically that: “The idea that suicides occur more frequently during the holiday season is a perpetuated myth.”

Studies conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center and the CDC’s own National Center for Health Statistics, have found that the suicide rate is in fact at its lowest in December month.
Neel Burton, M.D. writing for Psychology Today suggests that people with suicidal thoughts, “…are offered some degree of protection by the proximity of relatives and the prospect of…things getting better from here.”

Further, health experts are said to be “annoyed at the persistence of the Christmas suicide myth” and even hold journalists partially responsible for perpetrating it in their stories.
Similarly, Boxing Day is not at all about boxing, but has been so named because of the practice of the rich sharing boxed gifts with the poor on the day after Christmas – Boxing Day.
According to the BBC’s Newsround, “Boxing Day got its name when Queen Victoria (of England) was on the throne in the 1800s and has nothing to do with the sport of boxing.”

Traditionally, servants received a special Christmas box from their employers and were given the day off. They in turn would go home and share the boxes, containing leftovers, gifts and money with their families.

In Ireland and one region in Spain, the day has religious connections and is celebrated as St. Stephen’s Day. Churches too have played their part by storing collection money in a special box, which was opened on Christmas day. The money was handed out to the poor the following day.

In this country and many others, companies, charitable groups and private citizens share hampers and packages of food as well as toys and games to the less fortunate.
The Christmas season is also a time when family members, separated by differing work schedules and locations, get together, many setting aside Christmas as a day to be enjoyed at home with immediate family and Boxing Day for visiting.

This is the holiday that sees the greatest influx of overseas-based Guyanese, all eager to celebrate once more a traditional Guyanese Christmas among relatives and friends many have not seen in years.

So, during this festive season, let us remember those far away, share with those closer to home and say a prayer for those who are suffering or living in conflict zones and cannot celebrate as we do. Best wishes and Season’s Greetings to all.