What the Heck is “Boxing Day?”

The correct answer to, "What is Boxing Day?" is; "It's complicated."Basically it's a secular holiday in Europe, but it's celebrated in different ways across the continent.

Here are a few Boxing Day facts.

First of all, Boxing Day is also St. Stephen's Day. In Ireland, there is some vague tradition where kids capture a wren, put it in a jar (with holes in the top) then, attach the jar to a branch of holly. The kids then take their wrens from door to door and sing "The Wren Song" for the master of the house. Tipping is expected at this point, but many parents don't want their kids doing this because it is looked upon as "begging."

In Britain, it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year.

In Scotland, it's basically a bank holiday.

Nowadays Boxing Day is popular in Australia as the first day of a Test cricket match, while in Sydney, the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race sets sail.

Boxing Day is a popular day in the UK and U.S. for mounted fox hunters. Despite fox hunting being banned in the UK since 2004, Boxing Day remains the biggest meet of the year for most hunts, who use Drag Hunting instead of live quarry.

So, it boils down to this; Boxing Day is an extra day off to beg, race boats, play cricket or tip people in the service industry. Glad we could clear that up.