what is the point in boxing day?

Question

how did it come around?

Answer 1

Traditionally it was a day on which the rich gave gifts to the poor, as well as to their servants, from a "Christmas Box", hence "Boxing Day". It is also related to a nautical term for handing out rations to the ships crew.

Answer 2

A THIRD of people do not know the origins of Boxing Day, a poll shows.

It began in Victorian times when the rich would box up gifts for the poor.

But 4 percent think it is for families to solve arguments by BOXING – with 17 percent thinking it is for reboxing Christmas gifts. 40 percent of 1,020 polled by National Lottery will spend today watching...the box.

Answer 3

It is observed in GB, New Zealand and other commonwealth countries. It originated in the medieval times when the rich, upper classes (usually employers) would hand out boxes of left over food to the poor. These would be taken to the families of the poor servants and shared out. It was their one day off over Christmas when they could visit their families.

Answer 4

Traditionally, in a church, the "Poor Box" (where donations would be left all year round to help the poor of the parish)would be opened on Boxing Day and the money distributed among the needy families.

Answer 5

It goes far back to feudal times when the landowners would give their servants the day after Christmas off...since they had to work on Christmas. They would box up the leftover food and give it to the serfs for their families. They also might have given gifts of money (bonus?)

Answer 6

Traditionally Boxing day was the day gift BOXes were opened after the feast of Christmas day which is really the MASS of CHRIST but as with all things time blurs the edges and no-one can remember. so just say thanks for another paid day off work.

Answer 7

Boxing Day is a Canadian, British thing (and most likely any Country that has British ties/history). It is always the day after Christmas and got it's name from people "boxing" up gifts that do not fit, are broken, or simply not wanted, and returned to the store for a refund or exchange.

Answer 8

* It was the day when people would give a present or Christmas box to those who had worked for them throughout the year.

* In feudal times, Christmas was a reason for a gathering of extended families. All the serfs would gather their families in the manor of their lord, which made it easier for the lord of the estate to hand out annual stipends to the serfs. After all the Christmas parties on 26 December, the lord of the estate would give practical goods such as cloth, grains, and tools to the serfs who lived on his land. Each family would get a box full of such goods the day after Christmas. Under this explanation, there was nothing voluntary about this transaction; the lord of the manor was obliged to supply these goods. Because of the boxes being given out, the day was called Boxing Day.

* In England many years ago, it was common practice for the servants to carry boxes to their employers when they arrived for their day's work on the day after Christmas. Their employers would then put coins in the boxes as special end-of-year gifts. This can be compared with the modern day concept of Christmas bonuses. The servants carried boxes for the coins, hence the name Boxing Day.

* In churches, it was traditional to open the church's donation box on Christmas Day, and the money in the donation box was to be distributed to the poorer or lower class citizens on the next day. In this case, the "box" in "Boxing Day" comes from that lockbox in which the donations were left.

* Boxing Day was the day when the wren, the king of birds,[4] was captured and put in a box and introduced to each household in the village when he would be asked for a successful year and a good harvest. See Frazer's Golden Bough.
o Evidence can also be found in Wassail songs such as:

Where are you going ? said Milder to Malder,
Oh where are you going ? said Fessel to Foe,
I'm going to hunt the cutty wren said Milder to Malder,
I'm going to hunt the cutty wren said John the Rednose.
And what will you do wi' it ? said Milder to Malder,
And what will you do wi' it ? said Fessel to Foe,
I'll put it in a box said Milder to Malder,
I'll put it in a box said John the Rednose.

* Because the staff had to work on such an important day as Christmas by serving the master of the house and their family, they were given the following day off. As servants were kept away from their own families to work on a traditional religious holiday and were not able to celebrate Christmas Dinner, the customary benefit was to "box" up the leftover food from Christmas Day and send it away with the servants and their families. (Similarly, as the servants had the 26th off, the owners of the manor may have had to serve themselves pre-prepared, boxed food for that one day.) Hence the "boxing" of food became "Boxing Day".

Answer 9

well in the north east a lot of people go out drinking, they get to drunk and statr fighting so we all say it because they end up in a boxing fight if they go out on the town thats why is called boxing day. ha ha ha

Answer 10

well it's aptly called it coz most of my lot are bickering..

so YA is keeping me well out of it..

they are almost boxing , but not quite.lol

besides the proper name for it is "st Stephens day"