Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated on Dec. 26, the day after Christmas Day. It is the second day of Christmas and also St. Stephen’s Day, a day for giving to the poor.
One of my favourite carols mentions “Good King Wenceslas went out on the Feast of Stephen.” The song goes on to describe how the king trudged through the snow to bring food and fuel to a peasant.
This custom is linked to an older British tradition in which the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day after Christmas to visit their families since they would have had to serve their masters on Christmas Day. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses and sometimes leftover food.”
Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need but has become another day for festivities and shopping for bargains.
Boxing Day originated in the United Kingdom and is celebrated in several commonwealth nations. It is a federal paid holiday in Canada. It is not a statutory holiday for everyone in Saskatchewan, but many people observe it as a day off work.
The European tradition of giving money and other gifts to those in need or to those in service is linked to the feast of St. Stephen. Alms boxes were located in the narthex of some churches and these boxes would be opened on St. Stephen’s Day and the money distributed to the poor. This customer goes back to the 1700s, according to Wikipedia.
It was also a custom for tradespeople to collect Christmas boxes of money on the first week day after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year.
Boxing Day 2024 has nothing to do with fisticuffs and very little to do with boxes, unless you are a cat owner, in which case give a box to your feline friend and watch them fill it up with enjoyment.
