Boxing Day is all about loving and caring

In 2014, ‘Boxing Day’ will be celebrated on Friday, December 26.

No, it’s not a day where all the boxes that presents came in are thrown away. Actually, the origins of this holiday go back many centuries to where, traditionally, on the day after Christmas, churches would open their alms’ boxes and distribute the contents to the poor of their parish.

In the 19th century, Queen Victoria made Boxing Day a formal holiday for all countries of the Commonwealth. It was the day when the maids, drivers and cooks were given the day off, with small gifts, often in boxes, given as a token of appreciation by their masters.

In South Africa, the day after Christmas Day (December 26, every year) is designated as the ‘Day of Goodwill’. It is set aside so that South Africans may continue the spirit of Christmas to all the people in the country. Boxing Day was renamed Day of Goodwill in 1994.

The day is known as St Stephen’s Day in Italy, Finland, and Alsace and Moselle in France. It is also known as both St Stephen’s Day and the Day of the Wren or Wren’s Day in Ireland. In many European countries – including notably Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and those in Scandinavia – December 26 is celebrated as the Second Christmas Day.

So in this season of giving, let us live the message of love and hope. Let this season of goodwill spread and last not just today or the next few days, but let it last the whole year through and beyond.

Here are four ways to celebrate Boxing Day:
1. Do something for others. In the traditional spirit of the day, deliver small gifts or monetary bonuses to people who serve you all year: your mail carrier, newspaper deliverer, hairdresser, gardeners, cleaners. Engage in a hands-on charitable activity such as serving a meal in a soup kitchen or collecting food for a food bank. Set aside time to plan how you will devote your money and time to charitable activities in the coming year.

2. Participate in or watch outdoor recreation if the weather permits.  In England, the Boxing Day fox hunt was traditional, but is now banned. Today, Boxing Day is a popular time for horse racing. In the northern hemisphere, many winter race meetings open on December 26. Football (soccer) matches – organised or pickup – are traditional Boxing Day celebrations in the UK, Republic of Ireland and Canada. In Australia, where it’s summertime, an important test match (cricket tournament) begins on Boxing Day. Depending on the weather, celebrate Boxing Day with a family hike, boating, skiing, ice skating or a brisk walk.

3. Bring family and friends together for a meal. Continuing the Christmas celebrations in a more casual style is the Boxing Day custom. Family meals are often made up of a collection of Christmas left-overs served cold or mixed into comforting stir fries like the traditional British bubble and squeak. Open houses and potlucks extend the hospitality to a wider circle of friends. In countries where turkey or goose is the main Christmas Day meal, a formal Boxing Day dinner features roast beef complete with Yorkshire pudding and other trimmings. In the UK and Canada, many restaurants welcome large parties for Boxing Day carveries, or buffets serving roast meats carved to order.

4. Seek out traditional Boxing Day celebrations. In England, you might find Morris dancing – pageants featuring costumed dancers. In Irish villages, the Hunting of the Wren is an ancient St Stephen’s Day custom. Groups of men and boys parade the figure of a wren on a tall, decorated stick from door to door, begging for donations. The funds collected are used to put on a community dance party. Sing or listen to Boxing Day carols. ‘Good King Wenceslaus’ tells the story of a king’s act of charity “on the Feast of Stephen”. The album ‘Bells of Dublin’ by the Irish band The Chieftains features 3 Boxing Day carols: ‘The St Stephen’s Day Murders’, ‘The Arrival of the Wren Boys’ and ‘A Wren in the Furze’.