Boxing Day traditions: Fox hunting, patron saints and 'Christmas boxes'

Boxing Day, which occurs every year on December 26th,

The national holiday is primarily observed in the UK and Ireland. If the day after Christmas falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday is designated as the official public holiday; this year, Boxing Day falls on a Monday. 

December 26th is also the feast day of Saint Stephen, the patron saint of horses, which is why Boxing Day has come to be associated with horse racing and fox hunting.

Why is it called Boxing Day?

According to some, Boxing Day can be traced back to the Victorian era when churches often displayed a box into which their parishioners put in their donations.

British servants to the wealthy were given time off to visit their families as their services had been required for the Christmas Day celebrations of their employers. They were therefore allowed the following day for their own observance of the holiday; each servant would be handed a box to take home, containing gifts, bonuses and sometimes leftover food.

It was also customary for tradespeople to collect 'Christmas boxes' of presents or money on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year.

Samuel Pepys mentions the practice in a diary entry from December 19th 1663: "Thence by coach to my shoemaker’s and paid all there, and gave something to the boys’ box against Christmas."

Five years later Pepys was not feeling so generous. Complaining in a December 28th entry from 1668: "Called up by drums & trumpets; these things & boxes having cost me much money this Christmas."

Where else is the day celebrated?

Although it is primarily celebrated in the UK, Boxing Day is also observed in Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and some other Commonwealth nations - however the holiday was not perpetuated by the English in the American colonies.

Every year the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race - the world's biggest annual yacht race - begins in Australia on Boxing Day. The race covers 630 nautical miles and includes yachts from 35 to 100 ft. The record for the fastest time was broken last year when Perpetual Loyal made the crossing in one day, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 20 seconds. 

The Boxing Day test match is also held in Australia, with the Aussies set to compete against England this year.

Boxing Day is really 'St Stephen's Day' in Ireland, dedicated to a saint who was stoned to death for believing in Jesus.

'Wren Boys' were once notorious for blackening their faces and stoning wrens to death. They would then carry their catch around the town knocking on doors and asking for money. This distasteful act has now stopped, but the Wrens Boys still dress up and parade around town but collecting money for charity.

From fox-hunting to Channel-dipping

Hunts were a Boxing Day tradition but the 2004 ban on foxhunting put an end to all that. Despite this, 10 years later 250,000 people still regularly turn out to support hunting. 

Certain modified forms of hunting foxes with hounds are still within the law and hundreds of Boxing Day Meets take place every year. 

Boxing Daywas once a day on which families continued their Christmas celebrations by venturing out of their homes to enjoy entertainments including pantomimes, plays, variety shows, exhibitions, and sporting events such as football matches and hunts.

In recent times, the day has become synonymous with many sports. Horse racing is particularly popular with meets all over the country. A full programme of football fixtures is also played on Boxing Day.

Boxing Day is also a time when the British show their eccentricity by taking part in all kinds of silly activities. These include bizarre traditions including swimming the icy cold English Channel, fun runs and charity events. 

What was once a day of relaxation and family time has now become a holy day of consumerism. The sales used to start in January post-New Year, but the desire to grab a bargain and for shops to off-load stock means many sales now start on Boxing Day.

Last year, Christmas Day itself emerged as one of the most popular days for online shopping, with consumers buying products in the afternoon - often after not receiving their desired gifts.