Since I have arrived in England I have heard the term "Boxing Day" used a lot. I was not entirely sure what it was. I have heard the term before and knew that it occurs sometime in December, but I didn't know much more than that. So, I decided to do some research. What I found was really cool, and I'm excited to share it with you!
I learned about Boxing Day. Boxing Day is celebrated the day after Christmas, and since it is a widely recognized holiday, most people have the day off from work. The holiday got its name from being a tradition where a Christmas Box was opened on December 26, and the gifts inside were distributed to the poor. The Christmas Box was simply a wooden (sometimes clay) box where people donated gifts.
Throughout time, the Christmas Box has had many different purposes. From the 15th to the 17th century, a Christmas Box was stored on ships that went off to explore new lands. The Christmas Box would be placed by a priest. It was believed that the Christmas Box was good luck, and all of the members of the ship's crew who wanted a safe return would place money in the box before they set sail. Whenever a ship returned safely, the priest would remove the box and keep it until Christmas, when he would unlock the box and distribute everything inside to the poor.
