On December 26, the day following Christmas, many of the nations that are members of the Commonwealth observe a public holiday as “Boxing Day”, with the exception of holidays in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The day is observed on the following Monday if December 26 falls on a weekend day (Saturday or Sunday). In the sport of cricket, Australia kicks off the first test match of the year on this day every year.
What happens on Boxing Day?
On this day, people spend time with their families and go shopping. In the past, on this day, people would offer presents to the less fortunate by stuffing them in boxes and giving them to them on this day. In the United Kingdom, sales reach their peak on this particular day.
Once upon a time, on this day, the people of the UK would take part in a variety of activities, such as swimming in the icy waters of the English Channel, undertaking charitable work, and other such endeavors. In Ireland, the day after Christmas is also celebrated as Saint Stephen’s Day.
Boxing Day Test between Australia & England
In 1950, the inaugural this day test match was played, and Australia came out on top. This match was an international competition between Australia and England. Although in the early days it was not played every year, South Africa played its first Boxing Day test match against Australia & won the match in 1952.
The next Test Match was played the next year, in 1968. Since 1980, the event has served as the starting point for the annual custom of playing it. Since that time, the teams from Australia, England, and South Africa have continually competed against one another in test matches.
How its name originated?
There are a variety of accounts on how December 26 came to be known as Boxing Day. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the day can be traced back to the year 1830, when it became customary in Britain to give Christmas boxes to individuals on the very first day of the new week after Christmas. It is likely that the habit of using these boxes gave rise to the term ‘Boxing’.
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