What is Boxing Day and how is it celebrated?

Every year on the December 26th, many countries around the world celebrate Boxing Day. Once a day on which the upper class of British society gave gifts to their staff, it has now become one of the biggest shopping holidays on the calendar. Let’s take a look at the history of the day after Christmas Day.

When is Boxing Day?

Though we’ve already established, that Boxing Day occurs on December 26th each year, it’s also important to know when the tradition started. As far as we know, the term was first used in 1833, however, there has never been official agreement on the exact origin. What we can say, is that some theories behind the use of the word “Boxing” seem to suggest that it came from Christmas gifts, while others cite charity drives and some even reference a nautical tradition. On that note, let’s have a look at the history of it all.

Is Boxing Day’s history rooted in gift-giving?

If there is one thing we can say about the celebration of the day after Christmas, it’s that it seems to be a tradition largely observed in Britain and the countries previously associated with it. From Canada and the United States, to the Caribbean and of course the faraway lands of Australia and New Zealand, Boxing Day is a holiday that appears to have its origins in gift-giving as well as Victorian classism. No, it’s not a day on which you can punch people in the face.

In case you didn’t know, Christmas was also a very big deal back in the day. Whether it was extravagant dinners with geese, turkey and other delicacies exquisitely prepared by kitchen staff, or massive spending on gifts, the point is that the entire British class structure worked fervently, to make the holiday season as perfect as it could be for the elites of the time. Servants would clean, fix and cook, while messenger boys ran errands and postmen delivered mail and packages. With that in mind, when the 26th rolled around it was seen as an opportunity for the wealthy to show appreciation to those who had worked tirelessly during the holiday season and of course, throughout the year. From paid time off, to small gift boxes containing trinkets or coins, it was something that both sides of the social divide looked forward to. Interestingly, servants engaged in the same practice with their own family and friends.

Does Boxing Day have a religious origin?

Interestingly, there are some historians who believe that the Boxing Day tradition actually comes from the placing of small boxes of alms, in front of church doors during Advent. Used as a means to request donations for the poor on the day after Christmas, members of the clergy would go about the community distributing what help they could – primarily food and coins – to those in need. Further to that, the date itself was chosen because it is dedicated to St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr and a patron saint who was known for his good works.

Today’s Boxing Day is very different.

By now you can probably see that there is little connection if any between the day’s past and what we call Boxing Day now. Today, the holiday has become synonymous with shopping, big family lunches/dinners and of course sports. Whether it’s soccer in England’s Premier League, the NFL’s slate of games, the NBA, or even a cricket match held annually in Australia, there is plenty to watch and quite frankly, it’s become a tradition in its own right. Curiously, there were some sporting links to the Boxing Day of old. Until 2004 when the practice was banned, it was still common for hunters in the UK to gather en masse for a large-scale Fox Hunt. Today, they still gather and can be seen decked out in their finest attire, but thankfully foxes no longer have to pay the price.

Ultimately, what we can say for sure is that the holiday has its roots in the giving of gifts to those less fortunate. Though it has largely been commodified and is more about massive sales and deals than anything else – consider the idea that we now have ‘Boxing Week’ – it still remains a day on which family and friends come together to celebrate, which when all is said and done, is the best kind of tradition there is.