Boxing Day is a celebration held mainly in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries on the day after Christmas, 26 December. It is a festive day for families to get together, shop and also for various sporting events to take place. The origin of this celebration is linked to the tradition of giving gifts to workers and the disadvantaged after Christmas Day.

Boxing Day is a celebration held on 26 December in several English-speaking countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other Commonwealth countries.

The origin of Boxing Day is not entirely clear, but it is believed to stem from the old British custom of employees receiving a gift box from their employers on the day after Christmas. It is also said that the day after Christmas was the day when charity boxes were opened to distribute their contents to the poor.

Today, Boxing Day has become a day of shopping and discounting in many places, similar to Black Friday in the United States. Many shops offer deep discounts on products and there are large numbers of shoppers looking for bargains.

In addition to shopping, Boxing Day is also a day to enjoy sporting events and outdoor activities. In Canada, ice hockey is a popular activity, and in the UK, horse racing and football are popular.

In some countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, Boxing Day is also a bank holiday, which means that many businesses and shops are closed.

In short, Boxing Day is a celebration that takes place on 26 December in several English-speaking countries, with an uncertain history but which has become a day of shopping and discounting, as well as sporting events and outdoor activities.

What is the origin of Boxing Day?

It is unclear what the origin of Boxing Day is and at what point it became a tradition in Canada and other countries, but what is clear is that Boxing Day is closely related to the Christian holiday of St. Stephen’s Day, which is also celebrated on 26 December.

According to Christianity, St. Stephen was known in his time for performing acts of charity and helping the poor and sick, and was the first Christian martyr. Due to the collaborative nature of St. Stephen and that he always sought to help the less fortunate, on Boxing Day gifts and charitable acts are often given not only among friends and family, but also to the community such as NGOs and orphanages.

The word “box”, which means box in English, can have several explanations and meanings that have been given to it throughout history. The most widespread theory is that on 26 December, British royalty in Victorian times gave a box containing jewellery, gold coins and other valuables to family, friends and other members of the court. Gifts of food were also given and a great banquet was held at the head table of the palace or castle.

Another version of the creation of Boxing Day

As we have said, there is no official or definitive version of the origin of Boxing Day, but here is the second theory. In the 16th century, a time of discovery and development on the European continent, when going on a maritime expedition, the sailors would make an offering in a box given to them by a monk who blessed the expedition ahead so that they could all return safe and sound and with great booty. The box could only be opened on the day after Christmas, 26 December, and the offering that the sailors had deposited was then distributed among the poorest and neediest.

We can see a similarity with an expedition dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries, in which offerings were made in boxes that were deposited in churches at Christmas time, to be later distributed among the poorest and neediest of the faithful.

The third and last theory that we are going to look at here dates back to feudal times, when the lord of the land would gather all his workers together and present them with a box containing items such as cloth, fruit, clothes and food.