The real meaning of Boxing Day

J

Johnmelad502

Not a lot of people know that...

There is always a lot of talk about the "real meaning" of Christmas at this time of year – what it is, and whether, why or when it became obscured by a societal obsession with the accumulation of material goods.

All very good, but how about a little more exploration of the real meaning of Christmas Day's neglected successor, Boxing Day? For many people a day notable mainly for hangovers, the taking of bracing walks, the storing away of unwanted gifts and the consumption of leftovers, Boxing Day has a significance that seems to arouse very little passion or interest.

More's the pity, because the meaning of Boxing Day is, in this country, as old as the celebration of Christmas itself. The distribution of gifts for the poor – kept in a box until the day after Christmas Day – dates back to Anglo-Saxon times.

An ancient custom then, and unique to Britain. It may smack of noblesse oblige, but it also speaks of an ideal of generosity that should not date.
 
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Very interesting John,,,, nice to know the history/meaning of everyday things and traditions we take for granted.

Roughcaster.
 
The traditional recorded celebration of Boxing Day has long included giving money and other gifts to charitable institutions, the needy and people in service positions. The European tradition has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown and there are some claims that it goes back to the late Roman/early Christian era.

In the United Kingdom it certainly became a custom of the nineteenth century Victorians for tradesmen to collect their "Christmas boxes" or gifts in return for good and reliable service throughout the year on the day after Christmas.[
 
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Historians say the holiday developed because servants were required to work on Christmas Day, but took the following day off. As servants prepared to leave to visit their families, their employers would present them with gift boxes.
 
Church Alms Boxes

Another theory is that the boxes placed in churches where parishioners deposited coins for the poor were opened and the contents distributed on December 26, which is also the Feast of St. Stephen.

As time went by, Boxing Day gift giving expanded to include those who had rendered a service during the previous year. This tradition survives today as people give presents to tradesmen, mail carriers, doormen, porters, and others who have helped them.
 
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