Many international students will be on their way home to their families even before college closes for the Christmas holidays ( “hey, there’s no lectures to attend in the last week..!”) while other students may return earlier than the first week of January (“hell, I gotta finish a project needed to be handed in first day of term…!”).
Luckily for homestay accommodation students, there’s an opportunity to get that essay written in comfort and quiet! At the same time, perhaps observe first hand some of Britain’s long-standing new year traditions, some of which are still being celebrated right up until January 5th.
Custom has spread around the world
The day after Christmas Day is called Boxing Day, a European tradition of giving money and other gifts to servants and trades people, which dates back to the Middle Ages, possibly as far back as the late Roman/early Christian era. Some overseas students will be already familiar with the custom as it has spread around the world to places such as Hong Kong, New Zealand, South Africa and Kenya.
In Britain, Boxing Day also means a chance to escape the house after Christmas Day and many will go shopping for items at “too good to be true” discounts in the Boxing Day sales. The media will feature stories of men and women who would have camped out on the pavements for days or even weeks before, determined to be the first in the queue to grab a bargain. Public transport, which was closed on Christmas day itself, will be running again on Boxing Day but generally to a weekend/Bank Holiday timetable.
Shopping is not the only sport
Boxing Day is traditionally the biggest day of the hunting calendar. While the sport of fox-hunting itself was banned in 2005, some 250 gatherings of the land-owning British aristocracy now chase scented trails across the countryside on horseback, dressed in their traditional bright red riding jackets.
Meanwhile, there’s a full day of other sporting fixtures, including a full programme of league football, a tradition which began in 1860, horse-racing and the MCG Cricket Test between Australia and India.
Holiday limbo
The period between Boxing Day and New Years Eve exists in a kind of extended holiday limbo. Many families love to go along to a traditional and “eccentric” Christmas pantomime in their local area, which stages colourful productions of favourite children’s stories, such as Snow White, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, and Jack and the Beanstalk.
Looking for something a little more different again in your local area? If you’re in Manchester, you might fancy checking out this selection of cool and quirky bars and eateries or go hard core Boxing Day partying in Liverpool!
If you are trying to finish that important college dissertation then you really need to complete by New Years Eve. With just days to go, there is likely to be a costume to make and in some neighbourhoods, ancient new year customs to learn.
But more of Britain’s weird and wonderful New Year traditions, such as “First Footing” and singing “Auld Lang Syne” in PART TWO!