Boxing Day Trends in U.K and Beyond

Boxing Day is the 26th December and is a national holiday in the UK and Ireland. Arguments abound on the origins of the name Boxing Day; all of the answers here are relevant, so maybe it is all of them.

• A ‘Christmas Box’ in Britain is a name for a Christmas present.
• Boxing Day was a day off for servants and when they received a ‘Christmas Box’ from the master. The servants would also go home to give ‘Christmas Boxes’ to their families.
• A box to collect money for the poor was placed in Churches on Christmas day then opened the next day.
• Great sailing ships when setting sail would have a sealed box containing money on board for good luck. If the voyage were a success the box was given to a priest, opened at Christmas and the contents given to the poor.

Be these as they may, I must say; it has nothing to do with the sport of boxing. Yes, despite its name, Boxing Day, which is celebrated on December 26 in Great Britain, has nothing to do with pugilistic competition. Nor is it a day for people to return unwanted Christmas presents.

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day is classed as the Christmas Season with Boxing Day falling on the following Monday if December 26th falls on a Saturday or Sunday. Relaxing on Boxing Day is what the majority of people do but some people get out and take part in sporting events. Football matches and horse racing as well as shopping in the sales are some of the popular Boxing Day past times. Traditionally, matches on Boxing Day are played against local rivals. This ideas was to avoid teams and thier supporters having to travel long distances to away games the day after Christmas Day. The Boxing Day match is also a very popular event in the sporting calendar.

"A spell of wet and windy weather is expected to develop over the UK on Boxing Day and at first on Saturday 27 December," said a Met Office forecaster, adding: "Snow is likely in some northern and central areas, more especially on hills, with some significant accumulations possible."

Boxing Day is also a time when the British show their true eccentricity taking part in all kinds of silly activities like swimming. This is called the Boxing Day Dip. The Boxing Day Dip is a charity event where people in fancy dress swim in the sea on Boxing Day. There are several such dips held around Europe, but the largest is organised by the Lions Club of Sunderland, England. The dip takes place at Seaburn beach in Sunderland. This very popular event regularly attracts over 1,000 brave souls and over 5,000 spectators. They raised around £70,000 in 2013. Participants are expected to wear fancy dress and jump into the North Sea. The oldest dip is the Tenby Boxing Day Swim in Pembrokeshire, Wales, which started in 1970. A roaring bonfire meets the swimmers coming out of the sea and all participants receive a medal for bravery.