Why does boxing day have that name

One school of thought argues that the tradition began in churches in the Middle Ages. Parishioners collected money for the poor in alms boxes, and these were opened on the day after Christmas in honour of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr, whose feast day falls on 26 December. Some suggest the tradition is even older than that, dating back to the Christianised late Roman empire, when similar collections were supposedly made for the poor in honour of St Stephen, but the evidence is sketchy.

It was no accident that Good King Wenceslas, who was actually a Duke of Bohemia in the 10th century, risked life and limb on a freezing winter night to feed some wretched peasant who had chosen a most inclement evening to gather winter fuel. The problem in terms of dating when the Feast of Stephen became the day for alms-giving and box-opening is that the Good King Wenceslas hymn, which was written by John Mason Neale, dates from As with most things to do with Christmas, it was the Victorians who fleshed out the meaning of Boxing Day.

The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the s. What had previously been an amorphous tradition now, thanks to the structured minds and myth-making tendencies of the Victorians, became a seasonal necessity. As part of this seasonal beneficence, some employers in the Victorian period gave Christmas boxes to their staff. Let's face it, many people prepare way too much food for Christmas Day and end up eating it for the next week! Turkey curry, turkey pies and the famous turkey sandwich.

Yum, looking forward to it already - we'll skip the leftover sprouts though Celebrities go all out for Christmas Jumper Day Doctor Who: The episodes from Christmas past. Where can you bin it? Christmas edition. These comments are now closed. Should MPs be allowed to do another job? Lost penguin found 1, miles from home. Up, up and away - check out this epic hot air balloon record! Home Menu. Why is it called Boxing Day? Getty Images. Collection money.

When is Boxing Day? These days, December 26 is a popular holiday in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries for watching sports such as soccer and cricket, shopping and visiting friends. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault.