boxing day

In the Bible ( you'd never guess, yep Theology grad is me... I know scary thought!) in the Acts of the Apostles, we learn about St Stephen. Poor guy gets stoned to death for his troubles. He's a patron Saint of many a thing, coffin makers, casket makers, deacons, masons, and best of all HORSES!!

So the Church in its wisdom in the Middle ages decided to make the 26th a feast day for him and the horses as they where the most important form of transport and assistance on farms etc. on the 26th they would go and be blessed by the priest!

To add to the heady excitement of your horse being blessed, the churches also opened their alms boxes on this day, giving the money to the poor.

Of course it wasn't just alms to the poor, it grew by the 17th Century and apprentices would also what was in 'boxes' from their masters and they would smash them open on the 26th! Then it grew even further and in 1710 Jonathan Swift had a bit of a rant in his diary about being expected to provide Christmas boxes to, “carriers, policemen, lamp-lighters, scavengers, butchers' and bakers' boys, tradesmen's carmen, etc."




By Victorian times it had grown even further and it was now known as Boxing Day.

But now Charles Manby Smith was having a rant about it all! Also the servants where allowed the day off, though they had to serve the household on Christmas Day, they would be allowed the 26th to themselves. In 1871 Boxing Day became a public holiday.




Today, what's Boxing Day famous for?

Well if the BBC Breakfast news programme has anything to go by its for folk to queue at 5am or earlier to get into the Next Sale! ( other sales may apply!)