Contents
- 1 Is Boxing Day a British thing?
- 2 Which country doesn’t have Boxing Day?
- 3 What is the history of boxing?
- 4 Which country celebrates Boxing Day after Christmas?
- 5 Where did boxing originate?
- 6 What does Boxing Day mean in Europe?
- 7 Why doesn t america do Boxing Day?
- 8 What is Boxing Day called in England?
- 9 What is the difference between St Stephen’s day and Boxing Day?
- 10 What was Boxing Day created for?
What was Boxing Day originally called?
The origins of Boxing Day – Though historians disagree on the exact origin of Boxing Day, it is thought to have grown out of longstanding British traditions of charitable giving and goodwill—practices especially associated with the Christian festival of Saint Stephen’s Day, which is celebrated on December 26.
One of the first deacons of the Christian church, Saint Stephen was killed for his beliefs around A.D 36 and is considered Christianity’s first martyr. Known for serving the poor, Saint Stephen is traditionally celebrated with charity and the distribution of alms. If you’ve ever heard the carol “Good King Wenceslas,” you may recall that the king tramps through deep snow in a bid to give alms to a poor peasant.
The king was a real figure: Saint Wenceslas, a 10th-century Bohemian duke who, according to legend, did noble deeds “on the feast of Stephen”—December 26. There are several theories as to how that charitable tradition became known as “boxing.” Some historians tie the use of the term to boxes of donations that were installed in churches during the pre-Christmas season of Advent in the early days of Christianity during the second and third centuries A.D.
The day after Christmas, the boxes were opened and the money distributed to the poor. Another theory is tied to a practice that arose around the 16 th century. Working-class people would spend December 26 seeking out Christmas “boxes,” or tips, from the people they had served throughout the year. Though popular, the practice wasn’t beloved by everyone.
In 1710, for example, essayist Jonathan Swift complained that “I shall be undone here by Christmas boxes. The rogues at the coffeehouse have raised their tax, every one giving a crown, and I gave mine for shame, besides a great many half-crowns to great men’s porters &c.” Another possible origin story for Boxing Day has to do with a tradition that evolved in socially stratified 19 th century Victorian England, where servants sacrificed time with their own families to cater to their aristocratic employers on Christmas.
Who celebrates Boxing Day?
Which Countries Celebrate Boxing Day? – Some of the countries where Boxing Day is celebrated include England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and South Africa.
Is Boxing Day a British thing?
| Boxing Day | |
|---|---|
| Boxing Day crowds shopping at Toronto’s Eaton Centre, | |
| Also called | Offering Day |
| Observed by | Commonwealth nations |
| Type | Bank holiday, public holiday |
| Date | 26 December |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to |
|
Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to poor people, today, Boxing Day forms part of Christmas celebrations, with many people choosing to take advantage of Boxing Day sales.
It originated in Great Britain and is celebrated in several countries that previously formed part of the British Empire, The attached bank holiday or public holiday may take place on 28 December if necessary to ensure it falls on a weekday. Boxing Day is also concurrent with the Christian festival Saint Stephen’s Day,
In parts of Europe, such as several regions of Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Norway, and Ireland, 26 December is Saint Stephen’s Day, which is considered the second day of Christmas.
Why do they call Dec 26 Boxing Day?
When was Boxing Day invented? – Many people believe that the tradition of Boxing Day began in churches in the Middle Ages, where parishioners would collect money for the poor. It was thought this was done to honour St Stephen, the first Christian martyr, whose feast day fell on 26th December.
Is Boxing Day a thing in Europe?
Boxing Day is celebrated across the UK on December 26. In some European countries, it is also known as St Stephen’s Day. – 
Agencies Christmas is around the corner, and the world is already in a vacation mood. Many people in the UK are looking forward to a highly-anticipated rest at home, enjoying the winter with friends and family. However, a lesser-known holiday celebrated in the UK on the very next day of Christmas is Boxing Day, which is celebrated as Saint Stephen ‘s Day in other parts of the Christian world.
Which country doesn’t have Boxing Day?
This was in response to the efforts of a local coalition of British citizens to ‘transport the English tradition to the United States’. Why doesn’t the US celebrate boxing day? The same reason why the UK does not celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Both holidays are part of their respective countries’ unique traditions.
What is the history of boxing?
Early years – Boxing first appeared as a formal Olympic event in the 23rd Olympiad (688 bce ), but fist-fighting contests must certainly have had their origin in mankind’s prehistory. The earliest visual evidence for boxing appears in Sumerian relief carvings from the 3rd millennium bce, 
Britannica Quiz Boxing Quiz The earliest evidence of rules for the sport comes from ancient Greece, These ancient contests had no rounds; they continued until one man either acknowledged defeat by holding up a finger or was unable to continue. Clinching (holding an opponent at close quarters with one or both arms) was strictly forbidden.
- Contests were held outdoors, which added the challenge of intense heat and bright sunlight to the fight.
- Contestants represented all social classes; in the early years of the major athletic festivals, a preponderance of the boxers came from wealthy and distinguished backgrounds.
- The Greeks considered boxing the most injurious of their sports,
A 1st-century- bce inscription praising a pugilist states, “A boxer’s victory is gained in blood.” In fact, Greek literature offers much evidence that the sport caused disfigurement and, occasionally, even death. An amazingly bloody bout is recounted by Homer in the Iliad ( c.675 bce ): Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now “Sons of Atreus, and all you other strong-greaved Achaians, we invite two men, the best among you, to contend for these prizes with their hands up for the blows of boxing.
- He whom Apollo grants to outlast the other, and all the Achaians witness it, let him lead away the hard-working jenny to his own shelter.
- The beaten man shall take away the two-handled goblet.” He spoke, and a man huge and powerful, well skilled in boxing, rose up among them; the son of Panopeus, Epeios.
He laid his hand on the hard-working jenny, and spoke out: “Let the man come up who will carry off the two-handled goblet. I say no other of the Achaians will beat me at boxing and lead off the jenny. I claim I am the champion. Is it not enough that I fall short in battle? Since it could not be ever, that a man could be a master in every endeavour.
For I tell you this straight out, and it will be a thing accomplished. I will smash his skin apart and break his bones on each other. Let those who care for him wait nearby in a huddle about him to carry him out, after my fists have beaten him under.” So he spoke, and all of them stayed stricken to silence.
Alone Euryalos stood up to face him, a godlike man, son of lord Mekisteus of the seed of Talaos; of him who came once to Thebes and the tomb of Oidipous after his downfall, and there in boxing defeated all the Kadmeians. The spear-famed son of Tydeus was his second, and talked to him in encouragement, and much desired the victory for him.
- First he pulled on the boxing belt about his waist, and then gave him the thongs carefully cut from the hide of a ranging ox.
- The two men, girt up, strode into the midst of the circle and faced each other, and put up their ponderous hands at the same time and closed, so that their heavy arms were crossing each other, and there was a fierce grinding of teeth, the sweat began to run everywhere from their bodies.
Great Epeios came in, and hit him as he peered out from his guard, on the cheek, and he could no longer keep his feet, but where he stood the glorious limbs gave. As in the water roughened by the north wind a fish jumps in the weed of the beach-break, then the dark water closes above him, so Euryalos left the ground from the blow, but great-hearted Epeios took him in his arms and set him upright, and his true companions stood about him, and led him out of the circle, feet dragging as he spat up the thick blood and rolled his head over on one side.
He was dizzy when they brought him back and set him among them. But they themselves went and carried off the two-handled goblet. By the 4th century bce, the simple ox-hide thongs described in the Iliad had been replaced by what the Greeks called “sharp thongs,” which had a thick strip of hard leather over the knuckles that made them into lacerative weapons.
Although the Greeks used padded gloves for practice, not dissimilar from the modern boxing glove, these gloves had no role in actual contests. The Romans developed a glove called the caestus (cestus) that is seen in Roman mosaics and described in their literature; this glove often had lumps of metal or spikes sewn into the leather.
The caestus is an important feature in a boxing match in Virgil’s Aeneid (1st century bce ). The story of the match between Dares and Entellus is majestically told in this passage from the pugilism article in the 11th edition of Encyclopædia Britannica : Further on we find the account of the games on the occasion of the funeral of Anchises, in the course of which Dares, the Trojan, receiving no answer to his challenge from the Sicilians, who stood aghast at his mighty proportions, claims the prize; but, just as it is about to be awarded him, Entellus, an aged but huge and sinewy Sicilian, arises and casts into the arena as a sign of his acceptance of the combat the massive cesti, all stained with blood and brains, which he has inherited from King Eryx, his master in the art of boxing.
The Trojans are now appalled in their turn, and Dares, aghast at the fearful implements, refused the battle, which, however, is at length begun after Aeneas has furnished the heroes with equally matched cesti. For some time the young and lusty Dares circles about his gigantic but old and stiff opponent, upon whom he rains a torrent of blows which are avoided by the clever guarding and dodging of the Sicilian hero.
At last Entellus, having got his opponent into a favourable position, raises his tremendous right hand on high and aims a terrible blow at the Trojan’s head; but the wary Dares deftly steps aside, and Entellus, missing his adversary altogether, falls headlong by the impetus of his own blow, with a crash like that of a falling pine.
Shouts of mingled exultation and dismay break from the multitude, and the friends of the aged Sicilian rush forward to raise their fallen champion and bear him from the arena; but, greatly to the astonishment of all, Entellus motions them away and returns to the fight more keenly than before.
The old man’s blood is stirred, and he attacks his youthful enemy with such furious and headlong rushes, buffeting him grievously with both hands, that Aeneas put an end to the battle, though barely in time to save the discomfited Trojan from being beaten into insensibility. Roman boxing took place in both the sporting and gladiatorial arenas.
Roman soldiers often boxed each other for sport and as training for hand-to-hand combat. The gladiatorial boxing contests usually ended only with the death of the losing boxer. With the rise of Christianity and the concurrent decline of the Roman Empire, pugilism as entertainment apparently ceased to exist for many centuries.
How did Boxing Day start?
What Is Boxing Day? – Boxing Day is a centuries-old gift-giving day that originated in Britain. Yes, boxes are a big part of Boxing Day traditions! It was a custom on that day for tradesmen to collect their “Christmas boxes,” gifts of money or goods in return for reliable service all year.
Do you have any tradespeople who have been especially helpful this year—your postman, fix-it guy, city doorman? According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the custom arose because servants, who would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day, were allowed to visit their families the next day and employers would give them boxes to take home containing gifts, bonuses, and, sometimes, leftover food.
One of the earliest records of these box gifts dates from 1663. In an entry in his diary, English Parliamentarian Samuel Pepys writes that he sent a coach and messenger to his shoemaker to deliver “something to the boys’ box against Christmas” in addition to funds to cover his bill.
Do Americans say Boxing Day?
Have You Ever Wondered. –
What is Boxing Day? What countries recognize Boxing Day? How do people around the world celebrate Boxing Day?
Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Aidan. Aidan Wonders, ” Why is Black Friday called boxing day in Canada? ” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Aidan! People around the world celebrate Boxing Day on December 26. Although Americans don’t recognize Boxing Day as a holiday, people in many other parts of the world, including Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, and Australia, look forward to the day after Christmas each year.
Let’s take a look at a few of the theories about the origins of Boxing Day. Historically, service workers, such as maids and drivers, had to work on Christmas. Employers would give them the day off on December 26 and present them with gifts of money, food, and clothing, as a sort of Christmas bonus and token of appreciation,
Some say the name “Boxing Day” originated from the practice of putting these gifts in boxes for easier transportation, Another theory centers on the practice of opening the alms boxes in churches. Clergy placed alms boxes in churches to collect money for people experiencing poverty during the holiday season.
- The day after Christmas, they opened the alms boxes and distributed the money,
- Others claim Boxing Day dates back to Victorian-era England.
- In those days, people experiencing poverty would go from house to house asking for donations.
- Compassionate neighbors would fill their boxes with generous donations of food, clothing, and gifts,
Though plenty of families and businesses still celebrate Boxing Day by helping others, Boxing Day now revolves around celebrating with friends and family. Although government offices and banks close on Boxing Day, stores remain open. In fact, Boxing Day has become a bit like America’s ” Black Friday,” a popular shopping holiday the day after Thanksgiving,
What nationality is Boxing Day?
The origins of Boxing Day – Though historians disagree on the exact origin of Boxing Day, it is thought to have grown out of longstanding British traditions of charitable giving and goodwill—practices especially associated with the Christian festival of Saint Stephen’s Day, which is celebrated on December 26.
- One of the first deacons of the Christian church, was killed for his beliefs around A.D 36 and is considered Christianity’s first martyr.
- Nown for serving the poor, Saint Stephen is traditionally celebrated with charity and the distribution of alms.
- If you’ve ever heard the carol “Good King Wenceslas,” you may recall that the king tramps through deep snow in a bid to give alms to a poor peasant.
The king was a real figure:, a 10th-century Bohemian duke who, according to legend, did noble deeds “on the feast of Stephen”—December 26. What is Boxing Day and when is it celebrated? Despite having the word “boxing” in its name, this 19th-century holiday has little to do with jabs or hooks.
- Learn about the origins of this “bonus holiday” and how it is celebrated today through shopping, feasts, and sport.
- There are several theories as to how that charitable tradition became known as “boxing.” Some historians tie the use of the term to that were installed in churches during the pre-Christmas season of Advent in the of Christianity during the second and third centuries A.D.
The day after Christmas, the boxes were opened and the money distributed to the poor. Another theory is tied to a practice that arose around the 16th century. Working-class people would spend December 26 Christmas “boxes,” or tips, from the people they had served throughout the year.
Though popular, the practice wasn’t beloved by everyone. In 1710, for example, essayist Jonathan Swift that “I shall be undone here by Christmas boxes. The rogues at the coffeehouse have raised their tax, every one giving a crown, and I gave mine for shame, besides a great many half-crowns to great men’s porters &c.” Another possible origin story for Boxing Day has to do with a tradition that evolved in socially stratified 19th century Victorian England, where servants sacrificed time with their own families to cater to their aristocratic employers on Christmas.
On the day after Christmas, employers would give the servants a rare day off and send them home with leftovers from the family’s Christmas feast, plus gifts and tips. In their servants’ absence, historian Andrea Broomfield, these lords and ladies would eat an informal feast of leftovers.
Which country celebrates Boxing Day after Christmas?
Boxing Day, in Great Britain and some Commonwealth countries, particularly Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, holiday (December 26) on which servants, tradespeople, and the poor traditionally were presented with gifts. By the 21st century it had become a day associated with shopping and sporting events.
Explanations for the origin of the name have varied, with some believing that it derived from the opening of alms boxes that had been placed in churches for the collection of donations to aid the poor. Others, however, have held that it came from the boxes of gifts given to employees on the day after Christmas,
According to this theory, because the work of servants was required for the Christmas Day celebrations of their employers, they were allowed the following day for their own observance of the holiday. The practice of giving bonuses to service employees has continued, although it is now often done before rather than after Christmas Day.
- When December 26 comes on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday is designated as the official public holiday.
- December 26 is also the feast day of St.
- Stephen ( St.
- Stephen’s Day ), the patron saint of horses, and Boxing Day has come to be a day of sporting events, including horse races, foxhunting, and rugby,
Traditional foxhunting was modified in 2005 after the enactment of legislation in England and Wales that largely banned the use of hounds in hunts. The holiday was not perpetuated by the English in the American colonies, The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn,
Does New York celebrate Boxing Day?
Boxing Day New York – Boxing Day isn’t celebrated in the US, and you won’t find anything catering to it specifically. However, almost every shop you enter will have major sales, and it is a great chance to do some holiday shopping. The day after Christmas, you can head to shops like Macy’s Herald Square, Saks Fifth Avenue, or Bloomingdale’s to find items on sale like shoes, clothes, jewelry, and more. 
Where did boxing originate?
Ancient history – A painting of Minoan youths boxing, from an Akrotiri fresco circa 1650 BC. This is the earliest documented use of boxing gloves, A boxing scene depicted on a Panathenaic amphora from Ancient Greece, circa 336 BC, British Museum Hitting with different extremities of the body, such as kicks and punches, as an act of human aggression, has existed across the world throughout human history, being a combat system as old as wrestling,
- However, in terms of sports competition, due to the lack of writing in the prehistoric times and the lack of references, it is not possible to determine rules of any kind of boxing in prehistory, and in ancient times only can be inferred from the few intact sources and references to the sport.
- The origin of the sport of boxing is unknown, however according to some sources boxing has prehistoric origins in present-day Ethiopia, where it appeared in the sixth millennium BC.
When the Egyptians invaded Nubia they learned the art of boxing from the local population, and they took the sport to Egypt where it became popular. From Egypt, boxing spread to other countries including Greece, eastward to Mesopotamia, and northward to Rome.
- The earliest visual evidence of boxing comes from Egypt and Sumer both from the third millennium BC.
- A relief sculpture from Egyptian Thebes ( c.
- 1350 BC ) shows both boxers and spectators.
- These early Middle-Eastern and Egyptian depictions showed contests where fighters were either bare-fisted or had a band supporting the wrist.
The earliest evidence of use of gloves can be found in Minoan Crete ( c. 1500 –1400 BC). Various types of boxing existed in ancient India, The earliest references to musti-yuddha come from classical Vedic epics such as the Rig Veda ( c.1500–1000 BCE) and Ramayana ( c.700–400 BCE).
- The Mahabharata describes two combatants boxing with clenched fists and fighting with kicks, finger strikes, knee strikes and headbutts during the time of King Virata,
- Duels ( niyuddham ) were often fought to the death.
- During the period of the Western Satraps, the ruler Rudradaman —in addition to being well-versed in “the great sciences” which included Indian classical music, Sanskrit grammar, and logic—was said to be an excellent horseman, charioteer, elephant rider, swordsman and boxer.
The Gurbilas Shemi, an 18th-century Sikh text, gives numerous references to musti-yuddha, The martial art is related to other forms of martial arts found in other parts of the Indian cultural sphere including Muay Thai in Thailand, Muay Lao in Laos, Pradal Serey in Cambodia and Lethwei in Myanmar.
- In Ancient Greece boxing was a well developed sport called pygmachia, and enjoyed consistent popularity.
- In Olympic terms, it was first introduced in the 23rd Olympiad, 688 BC.
- The boxers would wind leather thongs around their hands in order to protect them.
- There were no rounds and boxers fought until one of them acknowledged defeat or could not continue.
Weight categories were not used, which meant heavier fighters had a tendency to dominate. The style of boxing practiced typically featured an advanced left leg stance, with the left arm semi-extended as a guard, in addition to being used for striking, and with the right arm drawn back ready to strike. A boxer and a rooster in a Roman mosaic of first century AD at the National Archaeological Museum, Naples Boxing was a popular spectator sport in Ancient Rome, Fighters protected their knuckles with leather strips wrapped around their fists. Eventually harder leather was used and the strips became a weapon.
What does Boxing Day mean in Europe?
Image source, Getty Images Boxing Day got its name when Queen Victoria was on the throne in the 1800s and has nothing to do with the sport of boxing. The name comes from a time when the rich used to box up gifts to give to the poor. Boxing Day was traditionally a day off for servants – a day when they received a special Christmas box from their masters.
The servants would also go home on Boxing Day to give Christmas boxes to their families. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Mural of St Stephen inside the Benedictine Convent of St John, Switzerland The day also has religious connections and is celebrated as Saint Stephen’s Day in Ireland and the Catalonia region of Spain.
In some European countries – such as Hungary, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands – Boxing Day is celebrated as a second Christmas Day.
Why doesn t america do Boxing Day?
The United States and Boxing Day – The United States is one of the few English-speaking countries that does not recognize Boxing Day as an official holiday. If December 26th falls on a weekday, Americans often go back to work or have to use a vacation day if they choose not to work the day after Christmas.
- There is no definitive reason why Americans do not celebrate Boxing Day, but there is also no reason why they would have adopted it.
- The American government did not see the need to adopt a public holiday from its former motherland nearly 100 years after becoming independent from them.
- The United States had already created its own holiday in November 1789, Thanksgiving Day, to give thanks for livelihood and good health throughout the year.
The day after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday, is also the United States’ largest shopping and sales day of the year, instead of the day after Christmas as is the custom in England and other countries that celebrate Boxing Day. Since Boxing Day’s inception, the United States has chosen to leave it off of their holiday calendar and will likely continue to do so.
What do Germans do on Boxing Day?
What Do People Do? – Some people attend a special church service on St. Stephen’s Day. For others, the Second Day of Christmas is an opportunity to:
Spend time with family and friends. Enjoy seasonal treats. Watch television. Play board games. Spend some time outdoors.
December 26 is a quiet day to recover from the Christmas celebrations and prepare for the winter sales. These often begin on December 27, which is sometimes known as the third day of Christmas. Some friends and families prepare a communal meal that may be cooked at the table, such as pancakes, fondue or meat and cheese cooked on a small grill or hot stone.
Does Germany do Boxing Day?
Boxing Day takes place on December 26th and is only celebrated in a few countries; mainly ones historically connected to the UK (such as Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand) and in some European countries. In Germany it is known as ‘Zweiter Feiertag’ (which means ‘second celebration’) and also ‘Zweiter Weihnachtsfeiertag’.
The dating of Boxing Day can get rather complicated. Sometimes Boxing Day is described as ‘the first weekday after Christmas’. However, that’s describing the ‘Public (or Bank) Holiday’ for Boxing Day in the UK. I think it’s possible to separate Boxing Day ‘the day’ (the 26th) and ‘the public holiday’. They’re normally on the same date but don’t have to be.
The same is true for Christmas Day (the 25th) and its public/bank holiday! In 2021, Christmas Day and Boxing Day (the 25th and 26th!) are on a Saturday and Sunday. So their bank/public holidays are on the 27th and 28th of December – a Monday and Tuesday.
But that doesn’t mean that ‘Christmas Day’ 2021 is on Monday the 27th! So if you’re going by the public/bank holiday definition of Boxing Day, then it should be described ‘the first weekday *after the Christmas bank holiday*’ not *after Christmas* – as they can be different too! On the UK government’s site listing the bank holidays in the UK, it states “If a bank holiday is on a weekend, a ‘substitute’ weekday becomes a bank holiday, normally the following Monday.”.
I think this makes more sense than saying Boxing Day or Christmas Day are ‘on’ other dates!
Do Italians have Boxing Day?
Il Giorno de Santo Stefano: Boxing Day lunch – The 26th December, Boxing day as we know it, is another excuse to eat in Italy with the Christmas feasts continuing into what is known in Italy as ” Il Giorno de Santo Stefano ” (Saint Stephen’s Day). While Italy’s Boxing day isn’t quite as elaborate as the previous days’ meals, it’s compulsory to enjoy the leftovers from the previous days.
Is Boxing Day International?
Boxing day is an international day – Boxing Day is observed only in the United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and some other Commonwealth nations. So join in our fellow nations and party it up this Boxing Day.
What is Boxing Day called in England?
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When is Boxing Day? | Why is it called Boxing Day? | History of Boxing Day St Stephen’s Day | What happens on Boxing Day? | Fox Hunting | Hunting the Wren When is Boxing Day? In Britain, Boxing Day is usually celebrated on the following day after Christmas Day, which is 26 December. However, strictly speaking, Boxing Day is the first weekday after Christmas (see definition in the Oxford English Dictionary). Like Christmas Day, Boxing Day is a public holiday. This means it is typically a non working day in the whole of Britain. When Boxing Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday the following Monday is the public holiday. © copyright of projectbritain.com Why is 26 December called Boxing Day? Traditionally, 26 December was the day to open the Christmas Box to share the contents with the poor. copyright of projectbritain.com What is a Christmas Box? The Christmas box was a wooden or clay container where people placed gifts. © copyright of projectbritain.com History of Boxing Day – Boxing Day origins Through our research for this page, we have discovered that Christmas Boxes were used in different ways: To protect ships During the Age of Exploration, when great sailing ships were setting off to discover new land, A Christmas Box was used as a good luck device. It was a small container placed on each ship while it was still in port. It was put there by a priest, and those crewmen who wanted to ensure a safe return would drop money into the box. To help the poor An ‘Alms Box’ was placed in every church on Christmas Day, into which worshippers placed a gift for the poor of the parish. These boxes were always opened the day after Christmas, which is why that day became know as Boxing Day. A present for the workers Many poorly paid workers were required to work on Christmas Day and took the following day off to visit their families.
And the tradition still continues today, The tradition of giving money to workers still continues today. It is customary for householders to give small gifts or monetary tips to regular visiting trades people (the milkman, dustman, coalman, paper boy etc.) and, in some work places, for employers to give a Christmas bonus to employees. St Stephen’s Day Boxing Day is also known as St. Stephen’s Day (when Good King Wenceslas looked out). ‘Good King Wenceslas looked out, On the Feast of Stephen.’ Who was St Stephen? Stephen lived in Rome and was the first man to be killed for believing in the teachings of Jesus. Follow this link to read about other events in England, Wales and Scotland Boxing Day Hunts Traditionally Boxing Day was a day for fox hunting. Horse riders dressed in red and white riding gear, accompanied by a number of dogs called foxhounds, chased the fox through the countryside in the hope of tiring it out. Eventually the hunters hope the fox will be so tired that the dogs will be able to catch it and kill it. Fox Hunting Today Many animal welfare campaigners object to fox hunting saying it is cruel to kill a fox in this way, while many participants view it as a crucial part of rural history in England, vital for conservation, and a method of pest control. In November 2004, MPs voted to ban hunting with dogs in England and Wales. As from 18 February 2005 hunting with dogs became a criminal offence (although it is still legal to exercise hounds, chase a scent and flush out foxes to be shot). It is still traditional to see horse riders dressed in red and white riding gear, accompanied by a number of dogs called foxhounds. Boxing Day Tea Many families will go on walks in the countryside together on Boxing day. Shopping In recent times, some shops have broken from tradition and started opening on Boxing Day to start the New Year sales. Hundreds of people now spend Boxing Day morning in queues outside shops, waiting to be the first to dive for the sales racks as the doors opened. Hunting of the Wren
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The wren, the wren, the king of all birds On St Stephen’s Day was caught in the furze, We hunted him far and hunted him near And found him under the bushes here. Hurrah, my boys, hurrah! Hurrah, my boys, hurrah! Knock at the knocker and ring at the bell, And give us a copper for singing so well. ” Those that gave money to the boys would receive a feather from the wren as thanks. The collected money was then used to host a village dance. This odd ritual was not restricted to England. It was prevalent in some continental countries on Boxing Day as well as the Isle of Man, Wales and Ireland. The following information has been very kindly provided by Eoghan, Peter and Feidhlim Deering, Ireland. Christmas in Ireland In Ireland, 26th December is known as “St Stephen’s Day” rather than “Boxing Day”, and is famous for its “Wren Boys”. Many years ago the Wren Boys would go out on St Stephen’s Day, catch a wren and kill it by throwing stones at it, just as St Stephen was stoned to death. Then they would blacken their faces with burnt cork, tie the dead wren to a pole and parade around the town with it, knocking at all the houses for money. Nowadays the “Wren Boys” just go round our town in fancy dress (usually the men wear women’s dresses and wigs), carrying a stuffed bird in a cage, singing carols and collecting money for charity. Our town also has a famous fox hunt on St Stephen’s Day. Some people think this is just as cruel as stoning a wren, but in Ireland it hasn’t been banned yet.
Copyright – please read All the materials on these pages are free for homework and classroom use only. You may not redistribute, sell or place the content of this page on any other website or blog without written permission from the Mandy Barrow. Follow projectbritain on Twitter | : Follow Mandy Barrow on Twitter © Copyright Mandy Barrow 2013 Mandy is the creator of the Woodlands Resources section of the Woodlands Junior website. The two websites projectbritain.com and primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk are the new homes for the Woodlands Resources. Mandy left Woodlands in 2003 to work in Kent schools as an ICT Consulatant. She now teaches computers at The Granville School and St. John’s Primary School in Sevenoaks Kent.
What is the difference between St Stephen’s day and Boxing Day?
Ireland – Wrenboys on Wren Day in Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland, In Ireland, the day is one of nine official public holidays. Its name is sometimes shortened to “Stephen’s Day”, particularly in informal contexts. In Irish, it is called Lá Fhéile Stiofáin or Lá an Dreoilín, meaning the Wren Day,
When used in this context, “wren” is often pronounced “ran”. This name alludes to several legends, including those found in Irish mythology, linking episodes in the life of Jesus to the wren, People dress up in old clothes, wear straw hats and travel from door to door with fake wrens (previously real wrens were killed) and they dance, sing and play music.
This tradition is less common than it was a couple of generations ago. Depending on which region of the country, they are called “wrenboys” and mummers, A Mummer’s Festival is held at this time every year in the village of New Inn, County Galway, and Dingle in County Kerry,
What was Boxing Day created for?
A day for servants – Why’s Boxing Day celebrated the day after Christmas? It originated in the United Kingdom and one theory is that it was originally a day to compensate servants. “In the Middle Ages and the early modern era, the servants all had to work on Christmas Day,” explains Carole Cusack, a professor of religious studies at the University of Sydney. Vintage engraving of servants serving a Victorian Christmas dinner to a large family. ( Getty: Duncan1890 ) Boxing Day became “their time to spend with their family”. “That’s your first idea that it’s a kind of gift in the sense of having some time off to spend with families,” Professor Cusack says.
Clues to the origin of the “boxing” name can be found in the Oxford English Dictionary which referred to a day “on which post-men, errand-boys, and servants of various kinds expect to receive a Christmas-box”. A “Christmas box” was an old way of referring to giving money to servants around Christmas time.
The Macquarie Dictionary also describes the day as traditionally being when “Christmas boxes or presents were given to employees”. Constant Mews, the director of the Centre for Religious studies at Monash University, grew up in South London and recalls this old tradition continuing into his childhood.