Boxing Day History: The Origins, Meaning And Shopping Traditions

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Today is Boxing Day, and crowds of shoppers are chasing Boxing Day specials while doing their Day After Christmas shopping. But many people are not aware of Boxing day history and what this day actually entails. So, what is Boxing Day and how did it arise?

Traditionally on Boxing Day, money and gifts would be given to those in need. Boxes were also placed outside churches for collect donations. Servants also typically had a day off their duties on the day after Christmas. As servants left to see their families on Boxing Day, they were presented with gift boxes by their masters. But, the exact origins of Boxing Day are obscure. In some parts of the world, Boxing Day used to be known as St. Stephen’s Day.

The commercialization of Christmas makes people associate Boxing Day with nothing more than a day when major retailers offer their best deals of the year, attracting crowds of people into shopping malls and outlets from early morning hours and until late at night. Boxing Day is usually a huge revenue booster for retailers as people line up outside stores for hours and rush into the stores as the doors open.

Some retailers choose not to limit their Boxing Day sales to just one day of the year - some have Boxing Day specials for days and even weeks. This year, as the world is recovering from the global financial crises, retailers are especially hopeful for a sales boom both in their stores and online. Check what stores offer Boxing Day specials this year.

Boxing Day is also huge for sports - soccer, football, rugby, horse racing, hockey are all in order for special Boxing Day coverage.

Boxing Day is a public holiday in the U.K., Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Greenland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Jamaica and Nigeria. It is not an official public holiday in the United States. The public holiday is moved to the following Monday if December 26 falls on a Saturday, which happened this year, so Monday, December 28, will be a public holiday in countries that observe it. Thus, December 26 is not Boxing Day by default.