26th
BOXING DAY
Boxing Day Origins And Meaning
Boxing Day is celebrated in the countries that were formerly part of the British Empire. It originated in the Middle Ages in England as a day when the Lord of a castle would give gifts of cloth and other useful goods to the serfs who worked his land. It was a universal practice in England at the time and it was obigatory for the Baron or Duke to give these gifts. It occurred on the 26th of December each year, and the gifts were distributed in special boxes so all could see they were getting an equal share. It is these boxes that give the day its name.
In Victorian England the practice spread to all the great houses of Britain and the gifts were for the employees of the household and the factories owned by that family, but it also included gifts to the poor of the local town. It usually took the form of gifts of Christmas food as well as toys and practical items. The gifts were still put in boxes as in the olden days.
Boxing gifts for the poor by the aristocracy only came to an end during the First World War when a combination of austerity due to the war, the fall of the system of privileged classes, and the beginnings of government social security systems lead to it dying out. Today most people have forgotten the original meaning and new meanings have taken root. It is mostly seen as a second Christmas day devoted to ones wider family and friends, with December 25th more oriented toward close family. In the Southern Hemisphere it has become a day of sport. Australia, in particular, has the famous Melbourne Boxing Day test cricket, and Sydney’s Sydney To Hobart yacht race.
