Despite the name, Boxing Day has little to do with packaging or a jab-cross-hook combo. The holiday, most famously celebrated in the U.K. and its commonwealth, has its roots in kindness and goodwill. We can all use that right now! Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about Boxing Day, including its history, how and where it’s celebrated and more.
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What Is Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is a holiday originally dedicated to providing gifts and charity to lower-income workers and impoverished people.
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History of Boxing Day
The precise history of Boxing Day isn’t quite clear, but it’s believed to have begun after aristocrats “boxed up” gifts, Christmas dinner leftovers and money to their household staff and workers. Another theory is that the name stems from boxes of alms inside churches that collected donations for charity during Advent and distributed the funds on Dec. 26 (similar to Giving Tuesday stateside). Some also link Boxing Day to the Christmas carol “The Good King Wenceslas,” which tells the tale of the royal giving firewood, food and gifts to a poor man during a blizzard. It’s unknown exactly when Boxing Day was first recognized, but the first printed mention of it is reportedly in Charles Dickens‘ The Pickwick Papers.
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Over time, the charitable theme of Boxing Day faded because more people now donate to causes in the weeks before the holidays. Modern celebrations of Boxing Day involve shopping (there are lots of sales, similar to Black Friday on our side of the pond), watching soccer games and other sports matches (including boxing!), and eating, drinking and being merry with friends at pubs.
When Is Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is December 26 each year. However, if Boxing Day falls on a weekend, the bank holiday and public holiday will be the following Monday. This year, Boxing Day falls on Thursday, December 26, 2024.
What Is Boxing Day Called in the U.S.?
Boxing Day isn’t generally recognized in the United States, but some Christians (especially Catholics) honor Dec. 26 as St. Stephen’s Day. Boxing Day is a holiday in Massachusetts as of 1996, when Gov. William F. Weld declared it so in honor of local British citizens who wished to celebrate it stateside. However, it still isn’t a bank holiday.
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What Countries Celebrate Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom, as well as other countries in the British Commonwealth that used to be part of the British Empire. Countries and territories honoring Boxing Day include Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, Singapore and Bermuda. South Africa also celebrates Boxing Day, but in 1994 began to refer to it as Goodwill Day in an effort to break ties with British colonialism.
What Is Boxing Day in Canada?
Boxing Day in Canada is mostly a shopping holiday, but in some localities within the Great White North, retailers are closed to allow for a day of post-Christmas rest.
Is Everything Closed on Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is largely a shopping holiday, similar to Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day or Black Friday in the United States. Shops are often open and experience their highest sales of the year on Boxing Day, and it’s popular to go to pubs to celebrate with friends on Boxing Day following Christmas celebrations with family.
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