Mysterious origins - What is Boxing Day?

Did you look at the calendar today and see Boxing Day (UK & Canada) listed? Have you ever wondered why the day exists at all? We’ve got the answer here.

December 26 has been a bank holiday —British speak for national holiday — in the United Kingdom since 1871. Its earliest origins trace back to the 1830s where the Oxford English Dictionary defined the day as being the first day after Christmas where postmen, errand boys, and servants of various kinds expect to receive a Christmas box.

The Christmas box itself is an even older term dating back to the 1600s where employers would provide a box of gifts to their servants.

Another theory suggests Boxing Day is an evolution of a Middle Age tradition whereby those in service positions were given presents.

Although there is no definitive answer to why Boxing Day is celebrated, the majority revolve around the idea of the rich gifting presents to the poor.

In Great Britain, Boxing Day is defined by Christmas dinner leftovers, bargain shopping at department store clearances, a full day of football —i.e. soccer, and visiting family members who didn’t make it around on the day before.