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What is Boxing Day and why is it called that?

Fri 02 Dec 2016

But why is it celebrated at all and why is it called Boxing Day? This is a question that many Brits cannot even answer.

The history of the day is steeped in the social class structure. Originally in Britain servants or tradesman that worked for wealthy families would receive a Christmas box from their employer which contained gifts. The box was a way of saying thanks for working throughout the year. Often Boxing Day was seen as Christmas Day for the working man who would be serving the rich on the 25th and would not get to celebrate Christmas with family members until the following day. But nowadays the tradition of the gift box no longer exists. Now it’s celebrated as a shopping holiday and one usually spent in front of the television eating loads of leftover food.

In modern Britain, Boxing Day is a bank holiday which also marks the day the January sales start. The sales are a phenomenon that sees most of the high street retailers slash their prices dramatically in the wake of Christmas.

http://greatbritishmag.co.uk/lifestyle/ask-a-brit/what-is-boxing-day-and-why-is-it-called-that

 


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