
Boxing Day is celebrated in England, Australia, Canada, New Zealand
and other former British commonwealth countries. It is a legal
holiday in these countries. This is also St. Stephans Day, where
Boxing Day gets some of it's roots. On St. Stephans' Day, churches
opened their collection boxes to the poor.
Boxing Day was an expression of appreciation and thanks, much
like Christmas tips are today.
The roots of the holiday goes back to the Middle Ages . On this
day, members of the merchant class would take boxes, fill them with
food and fruits, and give them to servants, tradespeople and the
less fortunate. In the case of servants, they would work on
Christmas Day, so it was only fitting that immediately after
Christmas, they would be given a day off to celebrate. Usually
celebrated the day after Christmas, some would celebrate the
following Monday when Christmas fell on a Friday or Saturday.
Today, the giving of boxes includes filling boxes with food and
clothing for the needy and performing volunteer work. Monetary
gifts to charity are also common