Christmas in England - Boxing Day?

by Mary
(USA)




We have heard about one English Christmas tradition called Boxing Day or Boxing Days. I would really like to find out more details. What happens on Boxing Day in England and what is the history of this tradition?

Mary from St. Anne's Helper
Christmas Traditions


Answer:


In England, Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day (December 26th or St. Stephen's Day).

On this day, we usually visit family members who we didn't spend Christmas Day with or whom we didn't manage to see in the runup to Christmas.

Boxing Day usually involved unwrapping more presents, but this is not where the name stems from. That goes back much further.

In days past, priests often placed a small 'Christmas box' (think 'piggy bank') close to the entrance of the church at the beginning of the year. The box stayed there all year. It had a small slit in the top for people to put coins in the box.

On Boxing Day, the priest would open the box and distribute the contents amongst those of his parishioners who needed it most.

From this probably stems the tradition to give extra generously to charity during the Christmas period.




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Christmas in England - Boxing Day?

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by: Anonymous

will there also be shopping sales too?
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by: Heather

I would agree with the comment above; in Victorian times Boxing day was the day when the rich used to give their servants a 'Christmas box' (which was usually enough material for the poor servant to make their new uniform for the following year!) However the alms giving would be a typical example of English Christian charity, which was also done on May Day.

On Boxing day my family ussed to drive up to my dads famly for a buffet and a general get together, having spent Christmas day with my mums family.
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by: Anonymous

We also celebrate Boxing day in Canada, and my understanding of it was that was the day that a house that had servants back in the day, would give their staff presents for Christmas on boxing day.

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