5 Things You don’t know About… Boxing Day

It has nothing to do with boxing the sport. Boxing Day comes from the old tradition of giving boxes of gifts, money or food to servants, tradesmen and the poor the day after Christmas.

It began as a charity day. Wealthy families and churches opened donation boxes on December 26 and shared the contents with those in need. It was one of the earliest forms of organized giving after Christmas.

It’s named after church alms boxes. In many churches, special boxes were placed to collect offerings during Christmas, and these boxes were opened on December 26 to help the less privileged.

It was originally a day off for workers. Servants who worked on Christmas Day were given Boxing Day off to visit their families, carrying gift boxes from their employers.

It’s a major public holiday in many countries. While it started in Britain, Boxing Day is now officially observed in places like Nigeria, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and parts of the Caribbean, often marked by shopping, sports and family outings.