Boxing Day is traditionally a day following Christmas when people in the United Kingdom would box up their presents.^[1] Today, Boxing Day is better known as a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and some other Commonwealth nations.

In South Africa, Boxing Day was renamed Day of Goodwill in 1994. In Ireland it is recognized as St. Stephen's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Stiofáin) or the Day of the Wren (Irish: Lá an Dreoilín). In the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Germany, Scandinavia, Czech Republic and Poland, 26 December is celebrated as the Second Christmas Day.^[2]

In Canada, Boxing Day takes place on 26 December and is a federal public holiday.^[3] In Ontario, Boxing Day is a statutory holiday where all full-time workers receive time off with pay.^[4]

Etymology[link]

The exact etymology of the term "boxing" is unclear, and there are several competing theories, none of which is definitive.^[5] The tradition has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions. The European tradition has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown and there are some claims that it goes back to the original immigrants^[who?] arriving in the colony^[where?] in boxes or baskets strapped together with hemp rope. The late Roman/early Christian era; metal boxes placed outside churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen.^[6]

In the UK, it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year.^[7] This is mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary entry for 19 December 1663.^[8] This custom is linked to an older English tradition: Since they would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day, the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts and bonuses, and sometimes leftover food.

Date[link]

Boxing Day is a secular holiday that is traditionally celebrated on 26 December, the day after Christmas Day, which is also St. Stephen's Day, a religious holiday.^[9][10][11] However, when 26 December falls on a Sunday, Boxing Day in many places is moved to 27 December. In the UK, where Boxing Day is a bank holiday, if Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, a substitute bank holiday is given on the following Monday, but if 26 December falls on a Sunday – which means that Christmas Day, another holiday, fell on a Saturday – then the Statutory Holiday for Christmas is moved to Monday 27 December and the Statutory Holiday for Boxing Day is moved to Tuesday 28 December. However, Boxing Day is still celebrated the day following Christmas Day for many British people.^[12]

In Scotland, Boxing Day has been specified as an additional bank holiday since 1974,^[13] by Royal Proclamation under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971.^[14]

In Ireland – when it was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland – the Bank Holidays Act 1871 established the feast day of St. Stephen as a non-movable public holiday on 26 December. Since the Irish War of Independence, the name 'Boxing Day' is used only by the authorities in Northern Ireland, which remains part of the UK. There, Boxing Day is a movable public holiday in line with the rest of the UK.

In the Australian state of South Australia, 28 December is a public holiday known as Proclamation Day and Boxing Day is not normally a public holiday. The holiday for Proclamation Day is observed on the first weekday after Christmas Day or the Christmas Day holiday.^[15] Nowadays Boxing Day is popular in Australia as the first day of a Test cricket match held at the MCG. A Test match is also often held in South Africa starting on Boxing Day.

In some Canadian provinces, Boxing Day is a statutory holiday^[16] that is always celebrated on 26 December. In Canadian provinces where Boxing Day is a statutory holiday, and it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, compensation days are given in the following week.^[16]

Shopping[link]

Boxing Day crowds shopping at the Toronto Eaton Centre in Canada

In Britain,^[17] Canada,^[18] New Zealand and some states of Australia,^[19] Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday, much like the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. It is a time where shops have sales, often with dramatic price reductions. For many merchants, Boxing Day has become the day of the year with the greatest revenue. In the UK in 2009 it was estimated that up to 12 million shoppers appeared at the sales (a rise of almost 20% compared to 2008, although this was also affected by the fact that the VAT would revert to 17.5% from 1 January).^[20]

Many retailers open very early (typically 5 am or even earlier) and offer doorbuster deals and loss leaders to draw people to their stores. It is not uncommon for long queues to form early in the morning of 26 December, hours before the opening of shops holding the big sales, especially at big-box consumer electronics retailers.^[18] Many stores have a limited quantity of big draw or deeply discounted items.^[21] Because of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, many choose to stay home and avoid the hectic shopping experience. The local media often cover the event, mentioning how early the shoppers began queueing up, providing video of shoppers queueing and later leaving with their purchased items.^[22] The Boxing Day sales have the potential for customer stampedes, injuries and even fatalities.^[23] As a result, many retailers have implemented practices aimed at managing large numbers of shoppers. They may limit entrances, restrict the number of patrons in a store at a time, provide tickets to people at the head of the queue to guarantee them a hot ticket item or canvass queued-up shoppers to inform them of inventory limitations.^[21]

In recent years, retailers have expanded deals to "Boxing Week", and some stores even have "half way to boxing day sales" on 26 June. While Boxing Day is 26 December, many retailers who hold Boxing Day Sales will run the sales for several days before or after 26 December, often up to New Year's Eve. Notably, in the recession of late 2008, a record number of retailers were holding early promotions due to a weak economy.^[24] Canada's Boxing Day has often been compared with the American Super Saturday, the Saturday before Christmas.

In some areas of Canada, particularly in Atlantic Canada and parts of Northern Ontario (including Sault Ste. Marie^[25] and Sudbury), most retailers are prohibited from opening on Boxing Day, either by provincial law or municipal bylaw, or instead by informal agreement among major retailers in order to provide a day of relaxation following Christmas Day. In these areas, sales otherwise scheduled for 26 December are moved to the 27th.^[26][27]

In Ireland, since 1902, most stores remain closed on St. Stephen's Day, as with Christmas Day. In 2009, some stores decided to open on this day, breaking a 107-year-old tradition. Some stores have also started their January sales on this day.

Cyber Boxing Day[link]

In 2009, many retailers with both online and High Street stores launched their online sales on Christmas Eve and their High Street sales on Boxing Day.^[28][29]

Sport[link]

Traditional Boxing Day hunting

Boxing day hunt meet in Keswick 1962

Boxing day hunt meet in Tiverton 2009

In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland it is traditional for the Premier League, Scottish Premier League and Irish Premier League respectively, as well as the lower divisions and rugby leagues, to hold a full programme of football and Rugby League matches on Boxing Day. Traditionally, matches on Boxing Day are played against local rivals. This was originally to avoid teams and their fans having to travel a long distance to an away game on the day after Christmas Day. It also makes the day an important one in the sporting calendar. In Australia and South Africa, much anticipated test matches are played on Boxing Day.

In horse racing, there is the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park Racecourse in Surrey. It is the second most prestigious chase in England, after the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Boxing Day is a popular day in the UK and U.S. for mounted fox hunters. Despite fox hunting being banned by the Hunting Act in 2004, Boxing Day remains the biggest hunt of the year for most hunts in the UK by use of scent drag trails instead of live quarry.

Australia holds the first day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the start to the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Several ice hockey contests are associated with the day. The IIHF World U20 Championship typically begins on 26 December, while the Spengler Cup also begins on 26 December in Davos, Switzerland; the Spengler Cup competition includes HC Davos, Team Canada, and other top European Hockey teams. The National Hockey League tends to have close to a full slate of games (11 were played in 2010), following the league-wide days off given for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

In some African Commonwealth nations, particularly Ghana, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania, prize fighting contests are held on Boxing Day. This practice has also been followed for decades in Guyana and Italy.^[30]

See also[link]

• St. Stephen's Day

References[link]

Notes

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Boxing Day

• Snopes: The Origins of Boxing Day
• Boxing Day Celebrations

Links to related articles v t e Public holidays in Australia New Year's Day Australia Day Good Friday Easter Saturday Easter Monday Anzac Day Queen's Birthday Labour Day Christmas Day Boxing Day v t e   Public holidays in Canada Nationwide statutory holidays New Year's Day · Good Friday · Canada Day · Labour Day · Christmas Day Statutory holidays for federal employees Easter Monday · Victoria Day · Thanksgiving · Remembrance Day · Boxing Day Other common holidays Family Day/Louis Riel Day/Islander Day · Quebec National Holiday · Memorial Day (Newfoundland and Labrador) · August Civic Holiday v t e Public holidays in Hong Kong New Year's Day · Lunar New Year (3 days)  · Ching Ming Festival · Good Friday · The day following Good Friday · Easter Monday · The Birthday of the Buddha · Labour Day · Tuen Ng Festival · Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day · The day following the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival · National Day · Chung Yeung Festival · Christmas Day  · The first weekday after Christmas Day Cancelled: Birthday of Her Majesty The Queen  · Liberation Day  · Double Ten Day  · Remembrance Day v t e Public holidays in New Zealand New Year's Day · January 2 · Waitangi Day · Good Friday · Easter Sunday · Easter Monday · Anzac Day · Queen's Birthday · Labour Day · Christmas Day · Boxing Day v t e   Public holidays in South Africa New Year's Day · Human Rights Day · Good Friday · Family Day · Freedom Day · Workers' Day · Youth Day · National Women's Day · Heritage Day · Day of Reconciliation · Christmas Day · Day of Goodwill v t e Public holidays in the United Kingdom New Year's Day 2nd January (Scotland only) St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland only) Good Friday (not Northern Ireland) Easter Monday (not Scotland) Easter Tuesday (Northern Ireland only) May Bank Holiday Spring Bank Holiday (not Scotland) Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day) (Northern Ireland only) Summer Bank Holiday St Andrew's Day (Scotland only, optional) Christmas Day Boxing Day