Eyes On You: Boxing Day

Some of you may see it as a day where most retailers would put up discounts, and as a day where malls would be 'sardine-packed' with people but how many actually know what is boxing day?

Boxing day is celebrated differently depending on regions.

In Canada, Boxing Day is a public holiday ( yay for me! ), and particularly in Ontario, full-time employees would receive a paid holiday (double yay! for future me).

In Ireland, it is a day to commemorate St. Stephen, a day called St. Stephen's day (believed to be the first person to be killed for believing in the teachings of Jesus).

In England, a hunting sport was particularly popular on this day, which is the Hunting of Wren. Wren boys (group of young boys hunting wrens) would hunt a wren and tie the dead bird onto a pole, decorated with holly springs and ribbons, and would sing at houses (hoping for money, food, gifts, etc.)

I manage to stumble upon a site which has the song,

"The wren, the wren, the king of all birds

On St. Stephen's Day was caught in the furze,

We hunted him far and hunter him near

And found him under the bushes here.

Hurrah, my bots, hurrah!

Knock at the knocker and ring at the bell,

And give us a copper for singing so well"

Also in England, it is popular for fox hunting (what's with those hunting-insane English people???). Hunters would dress in red and white hunting gear, chase some foxes with foxhounds (fox-hunting dogs). They'd just chase the fox until it gets tired, and that's when the dogs would kill the fox.

In Ireland, Scotland and the rest of UK, it is called Bank Holiday. It's as it name suggest, I think, but employees also get to choose to work with extra pay (more money!!!).

Well, there might be more translations and meanings for Boxing Day, but at least people, do realize that it isn't just your average sale day.

However, I did take advantage of this day and got myself a pair of Esprit jeans, called Rock fit and no, it doesn't fit rocks in it.

I took a few pics, but there's a clearer pic here.

Eaton Center today was packed with people. I took some pics it was hard to walk in that crowd, especially with that long crowd line-up at Abercrombie because of 2 fit dudes with packs are standing at the main entrance, and women, both young and old, wanted to grab a pic with them.

The entrance from Dundas TTC into Eaton Centre

The floor beneath ground level, Roots Entrance.

Jam-packed with people. Lower Ground.

After walking into shops, I end up buying that one pair of jeans, and headed back to whip up some dinner together with my bro. Since we had minced meat, and some 'tau fu pok', we attempted in making 'yong tau foo', but with 2 styles where my bro followed my mum's recipe in marinating the minced pork and I'd follow mine. After preparing it, we let it steam for about awhile before drooling over them.