Boxing Day
| Boxing Day | |
 Queue for Boxing Day sale outside a Future Shop outlet in Canada. | |
| Observed by | Some member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations |
|---|---|
| Type | Bank Holiday / Public Holiday |
| Date | December 26 |
| Related to | St. Stephen's Day |
Boxing Day is a bank holiday or a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a mainly Christian population. In South Africa this public holiday is now known as the Day of Goodwill. It is based on the tradition of giving gifts to the less fortunate members of society.
In many countries Boxing Day is a "shopping holiday" associated with post-Christmas sales and early starts to 'January sales'.
Boxing Day is usually celebrated on December 26, the day after Christmas Day[1][2]; however, unlike St. Stephen's Day, Boxing Day is not always on December 26: its associated public holiday can be moved to the next weekday if December 26 is a Saturday or Sunday. The movement of Boxing Day varies between countries. The name derives from the fact that the day is traditionally marked by the giving of Christmas boxes, or gifts, to service workers (such as service staff, postal workers and trades people) in the United Kingdom.
This day is commonly thought to be the UK's name for St. Stephen's Day. Saint Stephen was the first Christian martyr, being stoned to death in Jerusalem around A.D. 34–35. St. Stephen's Day is usually celebrated on December 26, which is a public holiday in some countries and areas in Europe (including but not limited to the UK, Germany, Italy, Alsace and the northern part of Lorraine in France, Catalonia in Spain) and around the world in countries with predominantly Christian populations. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, St Stephen's Day is celebrated on the 27th of December, although in Greece the Greek Boxing Day (Synaxis Theotokou, Σύναξις Θεοτόκου) is also celebrated as a public holiday on December 26 and is not related to the British version.[citation needed]
In Ireland — when it was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland — the UK's Bank Holidays Act 1871 established the feast day of St. Stephen's Day as a non-moveable public holiday on December 26, although since Partition, the name "Boxing Day" is used by the authorities in Northern Ireland, (which remained part of the United Kingdom), and it has become a moveable public holiday in line with the rest of the United Kingdom
The Banking and Financial Dealings Act of 1971 established "Boxing Day" as a public holiday in Scotland. In the Australian state of South Australia, December 26 is a public holiday known as Proclamation Day.
Date
In the countries that observe this holiday December 26 is commonly referred to as Boxing Day and St Stephen's Day, no matter what day of the week it occurs.[3] However, in some countries, fixed date holidays falling on Saturday or Sunday are often observed on the next weekday. Technically, Boxing Day cannot be on a Sunday — that day being the officially recognised day of worship, so traditionally it was the next working day of the week following Christmas Day, (i.e. any day from Monday to Saturday). In recent times this tradition has been either forgotten or ignored, and December 26 is considered by most to be Boxing Day when it falls on a Sunday. The last year December 26 was called Christmas Sunday in the United Kingdom and Canada, was in 1993. The next time the date fell on a Sunday (1999), it was known as Boxing Day.
If Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, then Monday December 28 is declared a bank or public holiday. In the United Kingdom and some other countries this is accomplished by Royal Proclamation. In some Canadian provinces, Boxing Day is a statutory holiday[4] and is always celebrated on 26 December. As with most statutory holidays in Canada if it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, compensation days are given in the following week[5].
If Boxing Day falls on a Sunday, then in countries where it is a bank or public holiday the Statutory Holiday is moved to Monday December 27.[6][7][8] In that event, Christmas Day would be on a Saturday, so Tuesday December 28 would be declared a holiday in its stead, that being the next available working day — thus the Boxing Day holiday occurs before the substitute Christmas holiday.
If Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, then Boxing Day is on Monday December 26, and no Royal Proclamation is required. In such a circumstance, a 'substitute bank holiday in the place of Christmas Day' is declared for Tuesday December 27, again with the Boxing Day holiday occurring before the substitute Christmas holiday.
Although the same legislation—the Bank Holidays Act 1871—originally established the bank holidays throughout the United Kingdom, the day after Christmas was defined as Boxing Day in England and Wales, and the feast day of St. Stephen's Day in Ireland.[9]
Shopping
In Australia and Canada, Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday, and a time where stores have sales, often with dramatic price decreases. For many merchants, Boxing Day has become the day of the year with the greatest revenue.[citation needed] The equivalent in the United States is Black Friday, right after Thanksgiving.
Many retailers open very early (typically 5 am or even earlier) and offer doorbuster deals and loss leaders to draw people to their stores. It is not uncommon for long lineups in the early morning of December 26, hours before the opening of stores holding the big sales, especially at big-box consumer electronics retailers. Once inside, the shoppers often rush and grab, as many stores have a limited quantity of big draw or deeply discounted items. Because of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, many choose to stay home and avoid the hectic shopping experience. The local media often will cover the event, mentioning how early the shoppers began lining up at various stores and providing video of the shoppers standing in line and later leaving with their purchased items.[citation needed]
Like Black Friday, the Boxing Day sales have the potential for customer stampedes, injuries and even fatalities.[citation needed] As a result, many retailers have implemented practices aimed at controlling large numbers of shoppers, most whom are typically irate due to the cold weather (in Northern Hemisphere countries), and anxious due to the fear of not getting a rare item. These include limiting entrances, restricting the number of patrons in a store at time, providing vouchers to the people at the head of the line that will guarantee them a hot ticket item, and canvassing lined-up shoppers to inform them of inventory limitations.
In recent years, this has been expanded to "Boxing Week". While Boxing Day is actually on December 26, many retailers who hold Boxing Day Sales will run the sales for several days before or after December 26, often up to New Year's Eve. Notably in the recession of late 2008, a record number of retailers were holding early promotions due to a weak economy.[citation needed] i love french fries
In some areas of Canada, particularly in Atlantic Canada and parts of Northern Ontario, most retailers are prohibited by law from opening on Boxing Day. In these cases, any sales specifically scheduled for December 26 are moved to December 27.
Sport
In the United Kingdom, it is traditional for the Premier League and the Football League as well as minor leagues and Rugby Football leagues to issue a full programme of football and Rugby matches for Boxing Day. Traditionally matches on Boxing Day are played against local rivals. This was originally to lessen the burden on teams and fans of having to travel to an away game on the day after Christmas Day; however it also makes the day an important one in the sporting calendar.
The association of Boxing Day with sport has led to the folk etymology that Boxing Day is traditionally associated with Boxing.
Australia sees the first day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the start to the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.
The IIHF World U20 Championship (Ice Hockey) typically begins on December, 26. It is most often hosted in Europe.
References
- American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition - 'Boxing Day'
- Oxford English
- BBC Radio 4 schedule, 26 December 2004
- Boxing day is not a statutory holiday in Manitoba — http://www.gov.mb.ca/labour/standards/doc,gen-holidays-after-april-30-07,factsheet.html#q13
- In Manitoba, Remembrance Day is an exception to the general holiday rules — a day in lieu is not given if Remembrance Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday — http://www.gov.mb.ca/labour/standards/doc,remembrance-day,factsheet.html
- Bank Holidays Act 1871 (UK and Republic of Ireland)
- Banks and Bank Holidays Act (NSW) 1912 — Fourth Schedule
- Holidays Act (Qld) 1983
- DTI information on bank and public holidays in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Note that a 'substitute bank holiday in place of of 26th December' is only possible in Northern Ireland, reflecting the legal difference in that St. Stephen's Day does not automatically shift to the Monday in the same way as Boxing Day.
External links
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Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Boxing Day". Image Credit.
