Boxing Day

In Britain, Boxing Day is the day after Christmas that is 26th December. In some countries it is the first week day after Christmas. It is the day the Christmas box is opened and its contents shared among the poor.

In olden days, a clay or a wooden box was a container in which people placed their gifts and alms. There are many stories associated with the origins of Boxing Day. One of them is that on Christmas day, a box was placed in the church for collecting money. This box was opened the next day and the money collected was distributed among the poor.

According to another, the wealthy families gave gift boxes to their servants on the day after Christmas. In the 18th century the lord and ladies packed the leftover food in the boxes and gave them away to their tenants who lived on their lands.

Some believe that when a ship set sail, a Christmas box was kept on the ship by a priest and the sailors put coins in it for a safe journey. The box was then sealed and on safe return the box was handed over to the priest who distributed it among the needy.

Boxing Day is also known as St. Stephen’s day. St Stephen was the first Christian martyr who was stoned to death because he believed in the Christ.

In Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, Boxing Day is a public holiday. Boxing Day is also associated with sports. Traditionally hunting took place in the U.K but now football and horse racing have become more popular.