Boxing Day got its name when Queen Victoria was on the throne in the 1800s and has nothing to do with the sport of boxing. The name comes from a time when the rich used to box up gifts to give to the poor. Boxing Day was traditionally a day off for servants - a day when they received a special Christmas box from their masters.
Is Boxing Day the same as Black Friday?
Boxing Day is largely a shopping holiday, similar to Columbus Day or Black Friday in the United States. Shops are often open and experience their highest sales of the year on Boxing Day, and it’s popular to go to pubs to celebrate with friends on Boxing Day following Christmas celebrations with family. Why do they call it Boxing Day?
Is Boxing Day a bank holiday or a public holiday?
Boxing Day is an official bank holiday in England and Wales, meaning that many people will have Thursday 26 December off. However, employers don’t legally have to give you paid leave on bank or public holidays such as Boxing Day, as long as you have at least 28 days of paid annual leave a year.
Why does the U.K. celebrate Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated the day after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide. Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It originated in the United Kingdom and is celebrated in a number of countries that previously formed part of the British Empire.
Why is December 26 referred to as Boxing Day?
There are various versions as to why 26th December is referred to as Boxing Day. The name has its origin from history and tradition. According to one version, the name ‘Boxing Day’ is a reference to holiday gifts. In Britain, a ‘Christmas Box’ refers to Christmas present.
Why it is called Boxing Day?
The name comes from a time when the rich used to box up gifts to give to the poor. Boxing Day was traditionally a day off for servants - a day when they received a special Christmas box from their masters. The servants would also go home on Boxing Day to give Christmas boxes to their families.
What is the original name for Boxing Day?
Though historians disagree on the exact origin of Boxing Day, it is thought to have grown out of longstanding British traditions of charitable giving and goodwill—practices especially associated with the Christian festival of Saint Stephen's Day, which is celebrated on December 26.
Do Americans celebrate Boxing Day?
People around the world celebrate Boxing Day on December 26. Although Americans don't recognize Boxing Day as a holiday, people in many other parts of the world, including Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, and Australia, look forward to the day after Christmas each year.
What is Boxing Day called in England?
In Ireland, when the entire island was part of the United Kingdom, the Bank Holidays Act 1871 established the feast day of Saint Stephen as a non-moveable public holiday on 26 December. Following partition in 1920, Northern Ireland reverted to the British name, Boxing Day.
Why is Boxing Day called Boxing Day?
Another popular theory is that the Boxing Day moniker arose from the alms boxes that were placed in churches during the Advent season for the collection of monetary donations from parishioners.
What is the holiday of December 26?
December 26 is not only a day for Santa Claus to catch his breath but a public holiday known as Boxing Day in the United Kingdom and other British Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
When is Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is held on 26th December, the day after Christmas Day. In many countries that celebrate Boxing Day this is also a public holiday (also known as a bank holiday). If Boxing Day falls on a weekend then the next week day will be assigned as the public holiday.
When was Boxing Day first mentioned?
Boxing Day is first mentioned in the Oxford English Dictionary in the 1830s, and it became a bank holiday in the UK in 1871.
Why do people give Christmas boxes?
In 17th century in the UK, employers would give servants and public workers a ‘Christmas box’ on the first weekday after Christmas. A gift of gratuity to show appreciation for their yearlong work. Usually this gift was money, but children were also given sweets, fruit, or nuts. The servants were given 26th December the day off to go home and visit their family, this is possibly the origin of leftovers on Boxing Day as the cook probably was off duty!
What is the day of goodwill in South Africa?
In South Africa, it’s known as the Day of Goodwill. It was previously known as Boxing Day until 1994. As a result of new leadership, the switch to Day of Goodwill was made.
What is the day after Christmas called?
The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day in several countries around the world. Have you ever wondered why is it called Boxing Day ?
What is St Stephen's Day?
Outside of the commonwealth, the 26th of December is known as Saint Stephens Day. St Stephen was first martyr of Christianity, killed for believing in Jesus. Saint Stephen is mentioned in the Christmas carol ‘Good King Wenceslas’. St Stephen has long been associated with charity and giving. Some believe this carol inspired Victorian vicars to collect food donations to give out on the day after Christmas.
What is the best roast for Boxing Day?
Others use Boxing Day as another Christmas opportunity to see family and friends with another feast. A popular roast meat on Boxing Day is Glazed Ham.
When was Boxing Day first celebrated?
As with most things to do with Christmas, it was the Victorians who fleshed out the meaning of Boxing Day. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the 1830s. Neale clearly recognised the association of the day in the public mind with charity, and in 1871 St Stephen’s Day was designated a bank holiday.
Where did Boxing Day originate?
The origins of Boxing Day lie not in sport, but in small acts of kindness. It is generally accepted that the name derives from the giving of Christmas “boxes”, but the precise nature of those boxes and when they were first dispensed is disputed. One school of thought argues that the tradition began in churches in the Middle Ages.
What is the practice of giving Christmas boxes?
What is undeniably true is that the practice developed of people giving Christmas boxes – commonly a small gift or some money – to tradespeople who had provided them with good service in the course of the year. The Victorians may have given the name to Boxing Day, but this tradition predates the 19th century.
When was Boxing Day invented?
It was certainly prevalent in 17th-century England, as the entry in Samuel Pepys’ diary for 19 December 1663 attests.
Do domestic workers get time off on Boxing Day?
In large households, after serving their employers on Christmas Day, domestic staff were allowed time off on Boxing Day to visit their own families, and went off clutching Christmas boxes full of leftover food. That at least is the suggestion, though there may be an element of Downton Abbeyish wishful thinking here.
Is Boxing Day a federal holiday?
The term is little used in the US, and 26 December is not usually a federal holiday , though it is this year because Christmas Day falls on a Sunday.
Which theory do you prefer?
Some historians reckon Boxing Day is so-called because it was the day the rich used to box up gifts for the poor.
Modern Boxing Day traditions
Now Boxing Day is a day many hit the shops for the annual sales – particularly if they’ve been lucky enough to receive money or gift vouchers for Christmas.
What does Boxing Day mean?
Boxing Day means different things to different people – for some, it’s simply a day to sleep off the effects of overzealous festive feasting, for others an opportunity to bag a high street bargain or head to the football.
When was Boxing Day invented?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term “Boxing Day” dates from the mid-18th century, and refers to the practice of giving tradesmen like postmen and servants “Christmas boxes” following Christmas Day.
What is the meaning of the word "boxing day"?
For the genus of shrubs, see Sarcococca. For other uses, see Boxing Day (disambiguation). Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated the day after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide. Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday.
Where did Boxing Day originate?
It originated in the United Kingdom and is celebrated in a number of countries that previously formed part of the British Empire. Boxing Day is on 26 December, although the attached bank holiday or public holiday may take place either on that day or one or two days later (if necessary to ensure it falls on a weekday).
Why is Boxing Day celebrated in Massachusetts?
Weld declared every 26 December is Boxing Day, in response to the efforts of a coalition of British citizens to "transport the English tradition to the United States", but not an employee holiday.
What is Boxing Day in New Zealand?
In East Donegal and Inishowen, the day is also popularly known as Boxing Day. In New Zealand, Boxing Day is a statutory holiday. On these holidays, people who must work receive 1 1/2 times their salaries and a day in lieu is provided to employees who work.
Why do people collect Christmas boxes?
In Britain, it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year. This is mentioned in Samuel Pepys ' diary entry for 19 December 1663. This custom is linked to an older British tradition where the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families since they would have had to serve their masters on Christmas Day. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses, and sometimes leftover food. Until the late 20th century there continued to be a tradition among many in the UK to give a Christmas gift, usually cash, to vendors, although not on Boxing Day as many would not work on that day.
Which countries play Boxing Day cricket?
In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, Test cricket matches are played on Boxing Day. For more details see Boxing Day Test. In Australia, the first day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race are on Boxing Day.
Which football leagues have Boxing Day?
In the United Kingdom, it is traditional for all top-tier football leagues in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland – the Premier League, the Scottish Premiership, and the NIFL Premiership – and the lower ones, as well as the rugby leagues, to hold a full programme of football matches on Boxing Day.
What is the meaning of Boxing Day?
It also relates to giving to the poor. Traditionally there was a box to collect money for the poor placed in Churches on Christmas day and opened the next day - Boxing Day aka St Stephen's Day.
What is Boxing Day?
The day after Christmas, December 26, is called Boxing Day in the UK. It's where we get another day off before heading back to work.
Why do servants get boxing days?
Boxing Day was traditionally a day off for servants, their master would give them a box to take with them. It used to hold gifts, a bonus and sometimes leftovers.
Why is St Stephen's Day celebrated?
In Ireland, it's known as St Stephen's Day named after the saint that was stoned to death for believing in Jesus. Following the theme, the Irish took part in a tradition called Wren Boys. The boys would dress up and stone wren birds to death then carry their catch around the town knocking on doors and asking for money.
When was fox hunting banned?
Fox hunting was a traditional Boxing Day sport until it was banned in 2004.
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Is Boxing Day a bank holiday?
Boxing Day is a National Bank Holiday, a chance to eat your leftovers and watch TV, the actual traditions go back much further and are steeped in history.
