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Why is Boxing Day called Boxing Day? And what are the day’s traditions?

Why is Boxing Day called Boxing Day?
Is Boxing Day a day for boxing? Images: Shutterstock.

It’s a question most children will ask at some point, as the excitement of Christmas Day turns to curiosity about Boxing Day.

Is it anything to do with the sport of boxing? Nowadays it could be related to all the cardboard boxes you have to dispose of from the gifts of the day before.

Or is it a day for boxing up unwanted presents?

It’s none of these but its name does originate come from the spirit of giving now associated with December 25 – although exactly when is a matter of debate.

Which theory do you prefer?

Some historians reckon Boxing Day is so-called because it was the day the rich used to box up gifts for the poor.

During the Victorian era December 26 was the servants’ day – they were treated by their masters and given time off to spend with their own families.

Others say it comes from the boxes in which churches would collect money during Advent. These would be opened on Christmas Day and distributed to the needy the day after.

Another possibility is that it came from a 16th Century custom of working-class people seeking out Christmas boxes or tips from those they had served.

While the exact origin of the holiday is not certain, these customs of giving are reckoned to be associated with St Stephen’s Day – a festival still marked in Ireland on December 26.

Saint Stephen was a Christian martyr killed around AD 36 who was known for serving the poor. The carol Good King Wenceslas talks of giving alms on the ‘feast of Stephen’.

Modern Boxing Day traditions

Now the day is one on which many hit the shops for the annual sales – particularly if they’ve been lucky enough to receive money or gift vouchers for Christmas.

Internet shopping means many sales now start before Christmas, but December 26 remains a bumper day for the High Street.

Fans of football and other sports also usually look forward to matches on the day after Christmas.

But this year, there are no Scottish Premiership matches on the 26th, with both Dundee United and St Johnstone in action against Hearts and Celtic on Christmas Eve.

Boxing Day hunts are also a tradition among groups such as Fife Foxhounds.

For those handy in the kitchen, it’s also a day for getting inventive with the Christmas dinner leftovers – anyone for turkey curry, turkey sandwiches, turkey pie?

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