17 Essential Boxing Day Facts About This Public Holiday For Kids
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When you celebrate Boxing Day, it traditionally includes activities like giving gifts or money to poorer people, watching sports like football and horse racing, and fox hunting.
Boxing Day occurs a day after Christmas and is a holiday, and Christmastide's second day. It first came into existence as a holiday for gifting the poor, and today is mainly considered a shopping holiday.
The holiday has its roots in the United Kingdom, and several countries, which were previously under the British colonies, also celebrate this holiday. December 26 is Boxing Day, but it can be attached to a public or bank holiday that can either take place on the same day or one or two days later.
It also coincides with the day of Saint Stephen, a Christian holiday.
In a number of regions in Europe, like Germany, Hungary, Poland, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Slovakia, and Romania, December 26 is the second Christmas day. A tradition in Europe to donate gifts and money for people in need dates back to the Middle Ages, however, the exact originating point is not known.
The earliest attestation to Boxing Day in Britain is given by the Oxford English Dictionary in the 1830s. For vendors in South Africa who usually interact a little with their employers, it is customary to knock on their employer's door asking for a Christmas box, which is a tiny cash donation in weeks either before or after Christmas.
However, this practice of asking for gift boxes has been banned by some municipalities.
Boxing Day also marks an important day for hunters in the United States and the United Kingdom and most hunting groups hold meets mostly in village or town centers. In some commonwealth nations of Africa, especially, Tanzania, Zambia, Ghana, Malawi, and Uganda, professional boxing competitions are held on Boxing Day.
This custom has been followed in Italy and Gayana for decades.
Sweden's notable tradition called Annandagsbandy that previously marked the beginning of the bandy season always draws a huge number of people. Traditionally, this game starts at 1:15 pm.
Fact About The History Of Boxing Day
One of the facts about the history of Boxing Day is that the old tradition of the 'Christmas box' has been used since the 17th century.
People celebrate Boxing Day to provide things to the needy. In the Victorian era of Britain, servants were given the day off on December 26 to visit families as they had to work on Christmas day.
It became a standard practice among many families and in 1871 a new holiday in the Christmas season was declared.
It also coincides with the Christian holiday, St. Stephen's day, which also promotes charity. When this holiday falls on a weekend, it is celebrated on the following Monday making it a long weekend for most people.
St. Stephen was appointed by the Apostles as one of the deacons to tend to the poor in the church. St. Stephen was responsible for giving food or money to poor people called almsgiving.
Postmen, servants, and other poor people in this position got Christmas boxes filled with presents and money on December 26, which was a piece of gratitude for service workers working on Christmas day.
The Significance Of Boxing Day
The significance of Boxing Day is that it is a holiday celebrated after Christmas day and is also called the Feast of St. Stephen.
There are other stories about the Boxing Day origins like that the name refers to holiday gifts and this name is in reference to sailors' nautical tradition, who receive a sealed box with money for good luck. If their voyage was a successful one then this box was given to the church priest.
The priest would then open the Christmas box and would distribute the contents to poor families. So, the main aspect of this celebration on December 26 is providing money and gifts to poor families.
The term 'Boxing Day' might have begun in England. One of the many theories about Boxing Day is that on December 26 churches put out donation boxes, later distributing the contents among the poor. A few countries have also turned December 26, Boxing Day, into a shopping day just like Black Friday with big sales and markdowns.
Who is Boxing Day celebrated by?
Boxing Day is celebrated by so many people across numerous countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and Scotland on the day after Christmas.
Boxing Day in Australia is a public holiday in all of its jurisdiction but the state of South Australia, where proclamation day is celebrated as a public holiday on either Christmas day holiday or the first weekday after Christmas.
When the whole island of Ireland was a part of the United Kingdom, the feast of St. Stephan was established by Bank Holidays Act 1871 as a fixed public holiday on December 26. Northern Ireland started using the name 'Boxing Day' after the partition in 1920. In Inishowen and East Donegal of Ireland, Boxing Day is quite famous.
Boxing Day is a legal holiday in New Zealand. Employees who need to work on this day in New Zealand receive one and half times their salaries.
Some states of the United States that celebrate Boxing Day are South Carolina, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Kansas, and Kentucky. On Boxing Day in South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, test cricket matches are played.
Boxing Day In Canada
Canadians also celebrate Boxing Day on December 26 and it is a public holiday in Canada.
In Canada, Boxing Day is a legal holiday. Banks, postal services, and government offices are closed. In Canada like many other countries, Boxing Day is traditionally the day that the staff receives Christmas presents known as gift boxes for celebrating the Christmas season. However, in modern society, these gift boxes are given to us amongst ourselves.
Canada's Boxing Day is usually a shopping holiday similar to Black Friday in the US. Many shops experience high sales on this day of the year. Also, as many people have holiday, they celebrate in pubs with friends.
It's usual to celebrate Christmas with family and Boxing Day with friends. In the United States, December 26 is also National Candy Cane day. Some places also see Boxing Day as returning of Christmas gifts to the store, if they either needed to exchange the gift or did not like it.
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Bachelor of Engineering specializing in Aeronautical/Aerospace Technology, Master of Business Administration specializing in Management
Arpitha RajendraBachelor of Engineering specializing in Aeronautical/Aerospace Technology, Master of Business Administration specializing in Management
With a background in Aeronautical Engineering and practical experience in various technical areas, Arpitha is a valuable member of the Kidadl content writing team. She did her Bachelor's degree in Engineering, specializing in Aeronautical Engineering, at Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology in 2020. Arpitha has honed her skills through her work with leading companies in Bangalore, where she contributed to several noteworthy projects, including the development of high-performance aircraft using morphing technology and the analysis of crack propagation using Abaqus XFEM.
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