A day for boxing?

Hello guys :)

First of all: Belated Merry Christmas! I hope you had a joyful and peaceful feast. (Probably without snow but I have a wonderful sunset picture from last week for you. Let's say as an excuse ;)

Today I am going to write about Boxing Day. Many of you may know this expression as some day after Christmas where people get crazy and attack shopping centres. I had had the same imagination before I found out more about this tradition. First of all, it has nothing in common with the boxing sport but let me tell you what I discovered:

Boxing Day is celebrated on December 26 (so tomorrow) in the majority of English speaking countries. The USA are the only major exception. In some countries, like the UK and Ireland, this day is even a public holiday.

There are a couple of speculations why this day is called “boxing day” of all things. It is assumed the tradition started in the UK during the Middle Ages. At that time a small container, called alms box, was placed in many churches. It was kind of a collection box where people could donate money for the poor. The boxes were traditionally opened on December 26 and the money was distributed to people in need. It is also possible that the term originates from the small boxes, servants and workers received from their masters as Christmas presents.

Today this day is traditionally spent with the family. Relatives come together to talk, laugh and eat. The food normally includes rests of the Christmas dinner, for example, turkey and ham. Many people prefer to prepare cold dishes, like turkey sandwiches, in order to avoid being in the kitchen instead of celebrating with the loved ones.

However, the shopping craziness mentioned above is today a big part of this holiday. In many countries, Boxing Day is as important for the merchants as for example the Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving). Many shops open very early or offer their products with radical price cuts. People use this day to return unwanted Christmas presents or to look for bargains.

Even though we do not really celebrate Boxing Day in Austria, we can adopt the original idea of this holiday. Why not meet with friends and family tomorrow, have a drink and chat a bit? Not just because it’s St. Stephen’s Day but also to think of the servants and their Christmas presents or of the alms boxes… ;)