The origins of Boxing Day
The origins of Boxing Day
There is a misconceived notion that Boxing Day stems from the sport – boxing. It actually has nothing to do with ‘boxing’. Traditionally, it is a holiday that was created as a way of continuing with the celebratory festivities surrounding Christmas. The day is a national holiday that is meant to be spent with family and friends chowing down the leftovers from Christmas. Here are some of the arguments on why it is called Boxing Day.
- A ‘Christmas Box’ in Britain is a name for a Christmas present.
- Boxing Day was traditionally known as a day off for servants and when they received a ‘Christmas Box’ from their masters they would in turn go home to give Christmas Boxes to their families.
- A box to collect money for the poor was placed in Churches on Christmas day and then opened the next day.
- Great sailing ships when setting sail would have a sealed box on board filled with money, this would be a token of luck for the sailors. If the voyage was a success then the box would be given to a priest and opened at Christmas – the money would be given to the poor.
These are just some of the notions surrounding the history of Boxing Day, we would like it to be known as the day that we choose to give something to another (someone who would benefit and truly appreciate it) – and since there is always a leftover saga at many homes, let’s box some of it up and share in the art of giving.
From all of us at GoRhino, have an awesome Boxing Day!
Thanks to Elaine Lemm for some of the information.
