No ‘box dung’ on Boxing Day

A few days ago, I overheard a conversation between a young mother and her daughter, who looked about six years old. The child wanted to know why Boxing Day is so called, and when it is.

The mother answered, “I don’t know,” to both questions, before returning to her phone. After about a minute’s silence, the girl declared that Boxing Day is when “yuh box dung someone”, and that she could not wait for Boxing Day to come “to box dung somebody”. Her mother ignored her again, making no attempt even to do a quick search on her phone – assuming she had a data plan.

I had a similar thought about Boxing Day when I was a child. I believed it was a day of boxing matches, but I never saw any such contests on Boxing Day and wondered why not, since it was supposedly reserved for boxing. For us children, it was actually a beach day, or a day to sleep off the gut irritations from over-eating on Christmas Day.

So why does Boxing Day follow immediately after Christmas, one of the holiest and biggest holidays on the Christian calendar? It is affiliated with Christmas, but it is not a Christian holiday. There are two major explanations for its name.

The BBC website says: “The most popular theory is that the name comes from a tradition of gifting boxed gifts to the poor. Centuries ago, servants would be working and serving those they worked for on December 25, so would get the following day off for their own celebrations with family and friends. They would be gifted with the boxes as thanks for their service to take home with them.”

On the same theory, Britannica’s website states: “It came from the boxes of gifts given to employees on the day after Christmas. According to this theory, because the work of servants was required for the Christmas Day celebrations of their employers, they were allowed the following day for their own observance of the holiday. The practice of giving bonuses to service employees has continued, although it is now often done before rather than after Christmas Day.”

Alms boxes

The second major theory, according to Britannica, is that Boxing Day “is derived from the opening of alms boxes that had been placed in churches for the collection of donations to aid the poor”. The BBC echoes this: “Others believe the tradition is called Boxing Day in relation to the church, which had a donation box for those in need, distributed after Christmas Day.”

Some also spend Boxing Day taking a traditional dip in nearby waters – embracing the cold, sometimes wearing a Santa hat, to raise money for charity or simply to have fun with loved ones.

Despite its widespread observance, historians and researchers cannot say exactly when Boxing Day, as it is known today, began. Its popularity is largely due to its proximity to Christmas. In the United Kingdom, however, it took shape during the 63-year-reign of Queen Victoria.

It was established as a bank holiday in 1871, when politician and banker Sir John Lubbock introduced the Bank Holidays Act, creating four official dates when all banks in Britain would close, including Boxing Day, December 26. Bank holidays had begun when banks and public offices closed to celebrate royal events, saints’ days and religious festivals.

Boxing Day is observed mainly in Britain and Commonwealth countries such as Jamaica, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Barbados, as well as Hong Kong and Cyprus. Traditions vary, but in Jamaica it has never been a major occasion. It is the bridesmaid to Christmas Day. It is not observed in the United States, despite its historical link to Britain.

Yet December 26 was originally St Stephen’s Day, with its own traditions and celebrations. St Stephen is the patron saint of many things, including horses, altar servers, deacons, headaches and stonemasons. The day became associated with sporting events, including horse races, fox-hunting and rugby. Also called the Feast of Saint Stephen, it commemorates the life of Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and is a public holiday in countries such as Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania.

Nowhere in the research did I find evidence of people “boxing dung” one another on December 26 (tongue in cheek). I hope the little girl chances upon this article before she goes around town “to box dung somebody” – who might well return the compliment.

editorial@gleanerjm.com