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No one celebrates the American Thanksgiving in New Zealand, but – strangely enough – starting about 3 – 4 years ago, some of the local retail stores started celebrating Black Friday. And now this year Black Friday is a huge thing, with sales advertised on TV ads, in local newspapers (yes, we still have newspapers in New Zealand), and even in email spam. Even my local guitar store is having a Black Friday sale:
http://createsend.com/t/r-1278BA54763831182540EF23F30FEDED
For those who don’t know, Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday in America, and employees are given both Thursday and Friday off to make a long weekend. Since Friday is not an official holiday, all the stores hold sales, and it is the biggest shopping day of the year. Stores which were not doing well financially for most of the year (in the “red” as accountants say) suddenly make a lot of profit and move into the “black”. So that’s where the name came from. Question for non-Americans: Does your country also have a “Black Friday”, and if so, when did it start happening?
Sunjamr Steve
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Hey Steve,
Here in California and all over the US there is another surge in virus cases so Thanksgiving is going to be way different this year. Travel is down and so are gatherings. The Black Friday sales have been going on for over a month to limit crowds in stores this Friday.
Stay well, MikeMike
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That’s interesting, Steve. The retailers in New Zealand are smart to jump on the Black Friday gimmick, whatever helps the sales. Personally, I find better deals throughout the year for whatever I need and could never understand the Black Friday frenzy here, like people waiting in lines from Midnight to tread over each other and fight to spend money on something non-essential and maybe save a couple of bucks. It’s obviously just a commercial trick, like many others, it is so easy to manipulate the masses đ
âŞJoLa
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It has become a bit of a blight here in Scotland, Was introduced oh about 7 or 8 years ago, before that “Black Friday” was Friday the 13th of November and said to be the unluckiest day of the year.
Anyway, as I said above. “Black Friday” shopping here is con with little or no bargains.
People still fall for it though, its not uncommon to see video’s of people fighting over a set of pots or folk being pushed over in the frenzy to enter a shop....Billy..
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Yes, that’s what I remember too. Black Friday was Friday the 13th. Here in New Zealand there is also a big retail sales day called “Boxing Day”. I had never heard of it before, but it’s the day after Christmas. At first I thought it was a holiday to honor the sport of boxing. But I think it’s misnamed: It should be called “Unboxing Day”, because people go out shopping in droves, then go home and unbox the stuff they bought. Weird.
Sunjamr Steve
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Steve,
Boxing day is a day know to the English and through their colonial influence widely around the world. It I believe comes from the principle of giving alms to the needy from very ancient times immediately after Christmas. Since the wretched commercialization of Christmas in recent decades it has perhaps become a bit more about unboxing than in the spirit of giving. fortunately our host Brian usually gives a Christmas tune to the world so a good example is set here.
JohnStrat
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Yes, thatâs what I remember too. Black Friday was Friday the 13th. Here in New Zealand there is also a big retail sales day called âBoxing Dayâ. I had never heard of it before, but itâs the day after Christmas. At first I thought it was a holiday to honor the sport of boxing. But I think itâs misnamed: It should be called âUnboxing Dayâ, because people go out shopping in droves, then go home and unbox the stuff they bought. Weird.
When I was a kid I asked my dad why was it called boxing day, he said “Its the day we throw all the boxes out”. Course us Dads being Dads dont know everything so sometimes we have to make stuff up..
Anyway later on, possibly a few months later I dug out a book in the library, and this is what I recall reading
“Boxing day started here in the U.K. in the 1830’s, It was a holiday for the working classes and was named “Boxing day” because the Bosses boxed up presents for their workers.”
TBH I thinking that this would be a holiday for the “Servants” of the house and not for the general great unwashed as back in the 1830 in the U.K. they were still sending children up chimneys to clean the flue and really poor people to the workhouse. Victorians eh!.
I’m guessing that John is correct and that “Boxing day” spread around the Empire, America would have been well divorced from the U.K. by the time the 1830’s came around, I’m thinking either fighting Indians or eachother?...Billy..
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Billy,
Here is the OED definition:-
Boxing-day
The first week-day after Christmas-day, observed as a holiday on which post-men, errand-boys, and servants of various kinds expect to receive a Christmas-box. So also Boxing-night, Boxing-time.
And the etymology takes it to 1833 and Pickwick Papers in 1837
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Hey Billy,I really like your new profile pic!! lol. Happy Thanksgiving,Boxing Day,or whatever!!…..Sal
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Be happy Sal, its the key to life.
Dont know much about thanks giving, I know those who sailed on the Mayflower celebrated it as a way to commemorate the long voyage, but i dont know if it was part of their religious ceremony’s before leaving the U.K. or Holland.
Happy whatever day kiddo....Billy..
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Yes we have, it started to happening couple of years ago or little bit more. Thank you, Steve for an educative information.
We have too traditional holy-day which calls a Shrovetide and falls on the first full moon Tuesday of the year. So, it is a moving day. Must be something like Mardi Gras but the traditional activities are totally another. Instead of carnival we have a sledging competition.
Lights.
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