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Boxing Day

节礼日

Boxing Day is a bank holiday or a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a mainly Christian population. In South Africa this public holiday is now known as the Day of Goodwill. The holiday is not recognized in the United States, It is based on the English tradition of the better off people giving gifts (a “Christmas box”) to less fortunate members of society, from days of estates and the rural economy.

节礼日是以基督徒为主体的英国、澳大利亚、加拿大、新西兰，以及其他英联邦国家庆祝的银行假日或公共假日。在南非,这个公共假日现在被称为亲善节。美国人不过这个节。它是基于富人给穷人礼物(圣诞盒)的英国传统。这个传统从农业经济社会开始。

Boxing Day was traditionally celebrated on December 26, St. Stephen’s Day and the day after Christmas Day. Unlike St. Stephen’s Day, Boxing Day has become a secular holiday and is not always on December 26: its associated public holiday can be moved to the next weekday if December 26 is a Saturday or Sunday. The date of observance of Boxing Day varies between countries. The name derives from the fact that the day was traditionally marked by the giving of Christmas boxes, or gifts, to service workers in the United Kingdom.

节礼日习惯上在12月26日庆祝,那天是圣斯蒂芬节，也是圣诞翌日。跟圣斯蒂芬节不同的是，节礼日已经不再是个宗教节日，而且不总在12月26日那天过:如果12月26日那天正好是星期六或星期天,它可以被推迟至下个工作日过。各国庆祝节礼日的时间各有不同。该节日的名称来源于英国那天给服务业工人送圣诞盒或礼物的传统。

In Ireland——when it was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland-the UK’s Bank Holidays Act 1871 established the feast day of St. Stephen’s Day as a non-moveable public holiday on December 26. Since Partition, the name “Boxing Day” is used only by the authorities in Northern Ireland. There Boxing Day is a moveable public holiday in line with the rest of the United Kingdom. In the countries that observe this holiday, December 26 is commonly referred to as Boxing Day and St. Stephen’s Day, no matter what day of the week it occurs. However, in some countries, holidays falling on Saturday or Sunday are often observed on the next weekday. Technically, Boxing Day cannot be on a Sunday-that day being the officially recognised day of worship, so traditionally it was the next working day of the week following Christmas Day (i.e. any day from Monday to Saturday).

当爱尔兰还是大不列颠和爱尔兰联合王国的一部分时，英国的 《1874年银行假日法案》将12月26日的圣斯蒂芬节作为不可调的公共假日分治后，只有北爱尔兰当局使用“节礼日”这一名称。节礼在英联邦其他地方都是可调动的节日。在庆祝这个节日的国家,无论它在哪一天过，12月26日经常被认为是节礼日和圣斯蒂芬节。然而,在一些国家，如果那天正好是星期六或星期天,那么将调到下个工作日庆祝。从技术上讲，节礼日不能在星期天过——因为那天是官方礼拜日，因此，传统上在圣诞节后下一周的工作日内过(即从星期一至星期六里的任何一天)。

If Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, then Monday December 28 is declared a bank or public holiday. In the United Kingdom and some other countries, this is accomplished by Royal Proclamation. In some Canadian provinces, Boxing Day is a statutory holiday that is always celebrated on 26 December. As with most statutory holidays in Canada, if it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, compensation days are given in the following week.

如果节礼日那天是星期六，那么12月28日星期一就被宣布为银行假日或公共假日在英国和其他一些国家，这是由皇家公告完成的。在加拿大的部分省份，节礼日法定在12月26日庆祝》跟加拿大其他法定假日一样，如果那天刚好是星期六或星期日，那么将于下周。

If Boxing Day falls on a Sunday in countries where it is a bank or public holiday, the Statutory Holiday is moved to Monday December 27. In that event, Christmas Day would be on a Saturday, so Tuesday December 28 would be declared k holiday in its stead, that being the next available working day-thus the Boxing Day holiday occurs before the substitute Christmas holiday.

在将节礼日当做银行假日或公共假日的国家,如果那天是星期天,那么法定假日就移到12月27日星期一。在这种情况下,圣诞节是星期六,因此12月28日星期二将用来补圣诞节的假这样节礼日在圣诞节的补假前过。

If Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, then Boxing Day is on Monday December 26, and no Royal Proclamation is required. In such a circumstance, a substitute bank holiday in the place of Christmas Day, is declared for Tuesday December 27，again with the Boxing Day holiday occurring before the substitute Christmas holiday.

如果圣诞节适逢星期日，那么12月26日星期一就是节礼日，不必发表皇家公告。在这种情况下,代替圣诞节的假日被定在12月27日星期二,节礼日再次在圣诞节的补假前度过。

In recent times this tradition has been either forgotten or ignored. Most people consider December 26 to be Boxing Day even when it falls on a Sunday.

近代这一传统已经被人遗忘或忽视了。大多数人认为12月26日是节礼日，即使那天是星期天。

Although the same legislation—the Bank Holidays Act i577—originally established the bank holidays throughout the United Kingdom, the day after Christmas was defined as Boxing Day in England and Wales, and the feast day of St. Stephen’s Day in Ireland.

虽然全英联邦的银行假日都是同一部法令1871年银行假日法案》确定的,圣诞节翌日在英国和威尔士被定为节礼日，在爱尔兰被定为圣斯蒂芬节。

The Banking and Financial Dealings Act of 1971 established “Boxing Day” as a public holiday in Scotland. In the Australian state of South Australia, December 26 is a public holiday known as Proclamation Day.

《1971年银行和金融交易法》将节礼日定为苏格兰公共假日。在澳大利亚的南澳大利亚州，12月26日被定为公共假日，亦称公告节。