Boxing Day’s origins are all about giving to others

A look at the beginnings and a few tidbits about Commonwealth tradition

Boxing Day: the day after Christmas, when we collapse all the discarded cardboard boxes and turn them into tidy bundles for recycling. Right? Actually, wrong. We might not know a lot about Boxing Day, unlike the famous day that precedes it, which boasts ample lore and mythology. Here, then, is a brief history and collection of interesting tidbits about the Commonwealth tradition:

1. Boxing Day’s roots trace back to Britain, where the holiday is also known as St. Stephen’s Day. St. Stephen, traditionally celebrated as the first martyr of Christianity, distributed food to the poor in the early church.

2. Boxing Day started as a tradition of generosity — gifts were given to servants or lower classes on this day, whereas gifts were exchanged between equals on preceding days. But, according to Snopes.com, there are countless variations of this same theme of generosity, from actual boxes containing food and fruit, to earthenware boxes that were smashed open to reveal coins inside, to boxes carried by priests on ships, and donation boxes in churches that collected funds for the poor.

3. According to PepysDiary.com, one early mention of gift boxes for servants or tradespeople appears in the diary of Samuel Pepys, a civil servant in London, from the mid-1600s: “Thence by coach to my shoemaker’s and paid all there, and gave something to the boys’ box against Christmas.”

4. Boxing Day is celebrated by Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. Some countries — including Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands — celebrate Dec. 26 as Second Christmas Day.

5. In the U.K., Boxing Day is a popular day for sport, including football, rugby, hunting and horse racing. Some African Commonwealth nations hold prize-fighting contests on Dec. 26.

Several hockey tournaments launch on the day, such as the Spengler Cup and the Interna- tional Ice Hockey Federation’s World Juniors. In Sweden, elite bandy matches (bandy is considered a form of hockey) are played, known as the St. Stephen’s Day Bandy tradition. In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, test cricket matches are held on the 26th.

6. In some parts of Canada, retailers are prohibited from opening on Boxing Day to provide a day of rest after Christmas Day. In these areas, sales are moved to the 27th.

7. Boxing Day is a provincial stat holiday in one province only — Ontario.