A statue in Sydney, Australia, shows an angel protecting a family. On Dec. 26, the country celebrates Boxing Day, which historically was a day that churches opened their alms boxes and distributed the money to the poor. The United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand also celebrate the holiday.
The other day, my youngest son, Zach, asked me, “What’s Boxing Day?”
I looked at him and replied, “What?”
The question came out of nowhere as we were sitting in our living room watching the latest episode of whatever was on the Disney Channel. (We really only have four channels at our house — Disney, the Weather Channel, Cooking, and HGTV — because those seem to be the only ones that don’t show adult content.)
He looked at me, “Boxing Day. It’s on the calendar. Day after Christmas.”
“Well, I don’t really know,” I said. “I think it’s something more celebrated in Australia or New Zealand (because AUS and NZ appear by it on the calendar as well as Canada and UK). Maybe something that happened in their countries.”
“Oh,” Zach said with a shrug, as if satisfied by the answer.
But it got me thinking: What is Boxing Day? I remember seeing it on the calendar even as a child. Right there, right after Christmas, on Dec. 26.
At first, I thought it had something to do with the Boxer Rebellion. This was an uprising in 1900 by a secret Chinese group called the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists. The group, which performed martial arts and calisthenics rituals they believed would protect them from bullets and other attacks, was fighting the growing Western and Japanese influence in China. Westerners referred to them as Boxers because they looked liked they were shadow boxing.
Maybe Dec. 26 played some crucial part in this rebellion?
It didn’t. At least not to the point it became known as Boxing Day. And if it did, why were Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom so intent on celebrating the day more so than China?
Boxing Day has nothing to do with the Boxer Rebellion or the sport of boxing. (Trust me. I checked that as well.)
Maybe, it’s simply a day people in the UK throw away their boxes from Christmas presents?
Wrong again.
Boxing Day’s roots go back about 800 years in the United Kingdom.
During the Middle Ages in England, as well as in some other European countries, churchgoers often dropped money into alms boxes. On the day after Christmas, the churches would open the boxes and distribute the money to the poor.
And this became Boxing Day. Some churches continue the practice today.
For servants, Boxing Day was the day they took off to celebrate Christmas with their families since they often had to tend to their employers during Christmas Day events and dinners.
Once I uncovered all this, I bounded back to the living room, excited to educate Zach on the history behind Boxing Day.
“Well, I found out what Boxing Day is,” I said.
I wanted to build up the suspense and not just blurt it out.
“Huh?” Zach replied, glancing up at me then back to the Slinky he found during my absence.
“You know, Boxing Day,” I said. “You asked what it is, the day after Christmas, December 26.”
“Oh, well, I’ve moved on,” Zach said and went back to trying to get his Slinky untangled.
Well, come this Boxing Day, Zach’s alms box might be full of coal.
daniel@thepicayune.com
