The complicated origins of Boxing Day explained

What is boxing day all about? It began in the United Kingdom, but there’s a bit of speculation around exactly when. Most historians reckon it was somewhere around the middle Ages, when servants were given a day off after Christmas to spend time with their family.
As for the boxing name, well, some reckon these servants and other working-class people around the same time, would receive Christmas “boxes”, full of gifts or money from all the people they had served throughout the year, and boxing day was when they’d get to open them.
Another theory comes from Christianity. December 26 was also called the Feast of Saint Stephen, who was the first Christian Martyr. That’s what you call someone who is killed for their religious beliefs.
Throughout the year people would donate money in a box in the Church. On the 26th of December, that box was opened and distributed to the poorer people in the parish.
During the 15 and 1600’s these charity “Christmas Boxes” also became a good luck charm for many seafaring ships. It was generally just a small box that was blessed by a priest and kept on board. If the ship made it home safely the box was given back to the priest to be opened the day after Christmas.
These days boxing day in Australia is generally just about sales, which is a chance for people to return unwanted gifts and shops to clear their stock after Christmas. It’s also the beginning of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race and the start of the boxing day test match.
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