What is Boxing Day and its significance in the sporting world?

Boxing Day falls on December 26 every year, the day following Christmas Day. It is a national bank holiday in the United Kingdom, and if it falls on Saturday or Sunday, it is shifted to Monday or Tuesday. It is primarily celebrated in the UK and is also observed in Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa.

Significance of Boxing Day

The name ‘Boxing’ has nothing to do with the sports competition other than its name. So it is not a day for the real boxing punches. There are lots of mentions about the origin of this day on the internet. However, It is most often mentioned that this day is celebrated to provide a day off for the servants who worked on Christmas Day. The masters of those servants presented gift boxes called the Christmas Box to them.

The servants used to take the Christmas Boxes on Boxing Day to give them to their families. In recent times, this celebration Day marks the start of post-Christmas sales. Boxing Day is popularly known as ‘Saint Stephen’s Day or ‘Feast of Saint Stephen’ in Ireland.

While one of its origins is also from Victorian roots. It was first included in the Oxford English Dictionary in the 1830s and became a bank holiday in 1871. During the Victorian era, churches often displayed a box into which their parishioners put in their donations.

British servants to the wealthy in the 19th century were given time off to visit their families as their services had been required for the Christmas Day celebrations of their employers. They were therefore allowed the following day for their own observance of the holiday. Each servant would be handed a box to take home, containing gifts, bonuses, and sometimes leftover food.

How is Boxing Day celebrated?

Sporting events have taken place on Boxing Day for centuries. The United Kingdom, South Africa, and Australia see several sporting fixtures being kicked off. In the United Kingdom, Premier League Football has a full day dedicated to games on this day.

The first ‘Boxing Day’ match was played between two of the oldest football clubs in the world Sheffield FC and Hallam FC on 26th December 1860. While in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, Test cricket matches are played on this special day. In some African nations, particularly Ghana, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, and Tanzania, prizefighting contests are held on an auspicious day.

Boxing Day Test

Since 1980, the Boxing Day test match is a regular in Australia’s cricket calendar. The fixture is held in Melbourne involving Australia and a team touring the nation. The Melbourne Cricket Ground has a longstanding tradition of hosting this special Test match every year attracting around 70,000-80,000 fans on the first and second days.

This year Australia will take on England in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne. While South Africa is scheduled to play a Test match against India at Centurion.

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