Why Do We Celebrate Boxing Day?

My first Christmas in America, and every time I asked someone what they were doing on Boxing Day, they looked at me as if I had grown a second head. It became clear that Boxing Day doesn't happen here. I was constantly being asked to explain myself and had to admit that other than knowing what we do as a family on Boxing Day, I was a little unsure of the origins.

This took me on a voyage of discovery.

To start with Boxing Day takes place on the 26^th December also known as The Feast of St Stephen. In the UK, Canada and most other Commonwealth countries it is also a public holiday.

But where did it all start?

Well, to be fair there are varying accounts but all seem to point back to the same theory.

One theory is that employers would give a 'Christmas Box' to their employees who had worked for them the whole year.

Another thought is that many years ago in England the servants would carry boxes to their employers when they arrived for work on the day after Christmas. The master would then put coins in the boxes, like a modern day bonus system. Hence Boxing day.

Traditionally Christmas was the day that Churches opened the donation boxes and the donations were distributed amongst the poor the next day (Boxing Day).

Another theory believes that because servants had to work on Christmas day and were away from their families the master of the house would let them box up some leftovers and let them spend the day after Christmas with their families.

At the end of the day it would appear that Boxing Day started because people were more benevolent to those less fortunate than themselves (the trades people, employees, servants, serfs and the poor).

This is born out in that great Christmas Carol 'Good King Wenceslas'. Remember, he gave out, flesh, wine and firewood to a poor man on the feast of Stephen (Boxing day).

Today in the UK Boxing day is the day when the sales start and nowadays those sales seem to go on all week. It is also traditionally a day for sport. Years ago it was fox hunting but these days it is football.