The darkest day

It's highly unlikely that any of you would have forgotten the tsunami of December 26, 2004. This was the single bleakest event in Sri Lanka's history, an event resulting in the deaths of so many. December 26 was the day when the Indian Ocean lashed our shores, venting all its fury on the innocent human beings who were unlucky enough to be caught up in its path.

The tsunami, as we came to know later, was caused by an earthquake off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island. The earthquake, measuring 9.3 on the Richter Scale, was the world's most powerful in more than 50 years and the second biggest quake ever recorded.

The resultant waves travelled thousands of kilometres, picking up speed and strength as they went on, and wreaked havoc across Sri Lanka as well as many other countries in the Asian region including Indonesia, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Bangladesh and the Maldives. The death toll passed 270,000 while many thousands went missing. The ferocious waves wiped out entire cities, carrying many to a watery grave.

In Sri Lanka, the 10-metre tall waves first hit the Eastern Coastal Belt before moving south, devastating Hambantota, Matara, Galle, Kalutara and Beruwela before moving westwards. Over 2,500 persons were killed while millions of rupees worth of property was damaged or destroyed.

Three years later, we still cannot forget the massive devastation caused in this terrible event. Thousands of people lost everything they had in the world, their families, homes and other property, and everything they could call their own, and are still living in makeshift camps.

Some are still crying and searding for loved ones, espcially children who they belived have been kidnapped during the crisis. And while we celebrate Christmas and the New Year, it's only right that we spare a thought for these unfortunate people, especially the children.

 

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           Origin of Boxing Day

The tsunami which battered the Asian region in 2004 was known as the Boxing Day Tsunami. That is because it took place on December 26, which is known as Boxing Day.

Do you know why December 26 is known as Boxing Day or what Boxing Day really is? Many theories exist as to the origin of the day.

One story is that in feudal times (in the time of kings and lords), Christmas was a time for the gathering of families, and that the servants would also gather their families at the manors of their lords the day after Christmas so that the lords would be able to give them the traditional gifts of clothes, grains and tools. Each family would get a box full of these gifts, thus the name Boxing Day.

Another story is that the servants would carry a box when they return to work after Christmas, so that their lords can put the coins which are supposed to be the end-of-year gifts for these servants into these boxes (like modern day bonuses). Another theory, similar to these, is that the servants of lords would have to work on Christmas Day serving their masters and thus get the next day off.

The food that was left over from the previous day's festivities would be packed and boxed and taken by these servants to their families. Yet another theory says that there was an early church tradition to open the donation box on Christmas Day.

The money collected would be given to the poor the next day. According to another theory, a wren, which was known as the king of birds, was captured and put in a box and introduced to each household in the village in an old day tradition. The wren would be asked to bless the village with a successful year and a good harvest.

Boxing Day is celebrated in most Commonwealth countries and is a public holiday in some. Though widely celebrated in the day after Christmas, it could also be on the first public holiday which follows Christmas if the 26th or 27th fell on the weekend.

Boxing Day is now mostly a day for sporting activities; originally focusing on fox hunting, now it has expanded to football, cricket, horse racing and yacht races.

It's another day for families to gather for a special dinner and exchange gifts, just as much a part of tradition as the Christmas dinner.