December 26, otherwise known as Boxing Day, is a holiday that falls between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Boxing Day has been officially observed since 1871. Some people believe that Boxing Day gets its name from the sport of boxing or has something to do with boxes which is entirely wrong.
Its origin
During Queen Victoria’s reign in the 1800s, Boxing Day was primarily used to reward the lower classes of British society. Traditionally, servants were allowed to take the day off. They would also receive hand-picked gifts from their masters as a token of appreciation for their services.
The presents given would be referred to as a ‘Christmas box’ which led to the day eventually known as ‘Boxing Day’.
Today, the holiday is synonymous with shopping and finding great after-Christmas sales. However, this was not the case a couple of hundred years ago.
While much of this tradition dates back centuries, the charitable aspects of Boxing Day are still observed by many people today, who may leave extra money for postman or other domestic workers as a gesture of thanks.
Boxing Day is observed not only in the United Kingdom, but also in other former British Empire countries such as Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, Singapore, South Africa, and Bermuda. However, in these countries, the holiday is usually treated as a shopping event, similar to Black Friday, and marks the start of sales.
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