Shopaholics head towards markets as the Boxing Day sales begin in UK but ever wonder about the Boxing Day History? Here’s an account!

Boxing Day History– A Brief Introduction

Boxing Day is a public and bank holiday in UK, Australia, New Zealand, German, Canada, Hong Kong, and Nigeria. This public holiday is also celebrated in few countries in the Commonwealth of Nations. Boxing Day is also known as ‘Day of Goodwill’ in South Africa. In America, it is not celebrated as an official holiday. But it has some prevalence among Americans particularly those who live near the US-Canada border area.

Boxing Day – A History and Etymology

In many European countries, it is an old tradition to exchange gifts and distribute pleasantries among poor and needy people which are in service on the day after Christmas. The tradition dates back to the middle ages of European history but exact origin is not known. Some historian claim that the tradition dates back to the early Christian era. In UK, the history of Boxing Day dates back to the nineteenth century Victorian times when the Royal Palace used to invite tradesmen to receive their ‘Christmas Boxes’ a day after the Christmas. These boxes were offered to them in return for their devoted services to the kingdom.

The history tells that Boxing Day was later separated from ‘Feast of St. Stephen’. It was declared a public holiday under the legislation, UK’s Bank Holidays Act 1871, which established United Kingdom’s bank holidays. Today, Boxing Day is celebrated as a secular, non-religious holiday with a tradition of post-Christmas sales and shopping.

Boxing Day History