The festive break is not over yet, as the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth countries celebrate Boxing Day on 26 December. Celebrated annually on the day after Christmas, the occasion is observed in many regions, and this year it falls on a Friday.
Despite what the name might suggest, interestingly, Boxing Day has nothing to do with the sport of boxing or with returning boxes or presents.
Boxing Day is widely celebrated in countries including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. It is also an official bank holiday in Britain, Canada, New Zealand and most of Australia.
What is Boxing Day?
The day is usually marked by giving gifts to your friends and family, celebrations and sporting events. It has also become an extension of the Christmas season, where people gather to celebrate together.
Boxing Day is also one of the most popular shopping days of the year, giving direct competition to Black Friday in the United States, according to local news outlet Kare 11.
On this day, families often invite others over to enjoy a casual lunch made from Christmas Day leftovers. Some also choose to visit stores to grab post-Christmas sales or make exchanges and returns, USA Today reported.
Origin traced back to Victorian era
Boxing Day is believed to have originated during the Victorian era. Although the tradition did not travel to the United States with the early colonists, it remains widely celebrated elsewhere, giving people another day off from work, along with a second day of gift-giving, shopping, festive meals, and sports-watching, according to the report.
The historical significance of this day is that during the reign of Queen Victoria, the poor, servants and tradespeople were given gifts. The servants would work on Christmas Day and visit their own families the next day. While they are leaving, the upper class would take leftover food, goods, or money and put them in boxes for these people.
Another theory says its origin comes from the opening of alms boxes provided by the church as opposed to gifts given by employers, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
While the holiday had its roots in giving back to the poor, over time it has shifted and become more associated with shopping and sports, according to USA Today.
Traditionally, Boxing Day featured sporting events such as horse racing, foxhunting, and rugby, according to Britannica. Foxhunting was later modified or banned in many places and was largely replaced by football matches. Other popular sporting events associated with the day now include ice hockey, cricket and boxing.
Even though boxes of food and other things aren't typically given to the poor anymore, it's not unusual for service employees to receive bonuses from their employers around this time of year, says Britannica.
