Boxing Day is celebrated a day after Christmas Day, i.e., on December 26. This year, Boxing Day will be celebrated on Thursday. It is an annual custom that began in the United Kingdom in the 19th century under Queen Victoria. While Christmas commemorates the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ, Boxing Day is meant for gifting to underprivileged people.
What is Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is meant for giving gifts, money and donations to the people in need. This day is widely celebrated in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and several other Commonwealth countries. Even though the day originated for gifting to the poor, it has now become popular as a day for shopping. Families and friends come together and feasts are prepared to celebrate the festival.
Why is Boxing Day celebrated after Christmas?
The name Boxing Day is derived from the word Christmas Box. This is because, on this day, the rich and well-to-do people gave Christmas box presents to their servants and the poor. This day is meant to be a holiday for the servants and they go to visit their families with the gifts and presents that they receive from their employers.
Another theory says that a box was used to collect money and gifts for the poor which was placed in the church. This box was opened and the contents of the box were distributed among the poor on Boxing Day. Since, this day is observed as a holiday, if it falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, then the following Monday is observed as a holiday.
Today, people take part in different activities on Boxing Day. While some people spend time with family and friends, a lot of people go out for shopping. Stores run discounts and sales on Boxing Day that are similar to Thanksgiving or Black Friday sale which attracts a lot of customers.
Another popular event of Boxing Day is the Boxing Day test. On this day, a test match is played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The national cricket team of Australia plays a test match against the opposing national team that is touring the country during the southern summer.
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