Two holidays fall on December 26th: Kwanzaa, the week-long celebration of African culture, started in America in 1966. Boxing Day is celebrated in Great Britain and some Commonwealth countries; the US, being that most schools are closed that day, celebrate it with shopping and more Christmas cheer.
The name Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, which means "first fruits". Kwanzaa celebrations include lighting the kinara, a candleholder with seven candles, one black, three red, and three green, singing, dancing, playing African drums, storytelling, and reading poetry, a large traditional meal, called Karamu, usually on the sixth day and a day of reflection and recommitment.
It is largely a private celebration observed by individuals, families and local communities.
In the past, Boxing Day was a holiday on which servants, tradespeople, and the poor traditionally were presented with gifts. The lords and aristocrats would give their servants "Christmas boxes" filled with leftovers and small gifts after the parties, leading to the name "Boxing Day." Employers still give service workers bonuses around the holidays, and people who work on Christmas will have their own version of a Boxing Day dinner with friends and family.
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