Boxing Day is also the Day of Goodwill

Dubai: While Christmas is the main event on the social calendar for Christians across the globe, another big holiday that is observed in the UK and Commonwealth countries is the day after Christmas.

December 26 is typically called Boxing Day, although in some parts it is also known as the Day of Goodwill. Boxing Day originally got its name from the Anglo-Saxon tradition when people would hand out gifts in boxes to those less wealthy.

The tradition, according to historians, is estimated to have started in England during the Middle Ages because servants were required to work on Christmas Day, but took the following day off.

As servants prepared to leave to visit their families, their employers would then present them with gift boxes. Boxing Day also included giving money and other gifts to charitable institutions.

But as modern times approached, that tradition eventually drifted away and people ended up celebrating Boxing Day as a quiet day indoors with their family.

"It is more like a family day, when we all relax together. Back home when I was a child, my family would spend Boxing Day the way we would normally spend any other Sunday," said Sharon Cordova, from the UK.

Tradition

"It is a time when we will all gather around and have friends visit us at home, and even though I have children now, I keep up the tradition of spending quality time with my family," she said.

Allen Humphrey, also from the UK, said that he would be spending Boxing Day at home with his parents.

"My parents have flown in to spend Christmas in Dubai, so Boxing Day is no exception. Our Christmas dinners take up most of our energy as we have big meals and lots of beverages. When Boxing Day comes around, we use the time to relax and recover from the night before," he said.

Shopping holiday

So while some countries celebrate Boxing Day at home, other nations such as Canada and New Zealand celebrate it as a shopping holiday. It is a time where shops slash their overpriced items, and everyone queues up to buy whatever is missing from their Christmas wish list.

"Everyone goes ballistic over the prices and shopping malls are completely packed with people. Even though everyone has already done their Christmas shopping, it seems that they want to buy more things just because everything is so cheap," said Patrick Dean, from Canada.

"But I try to avoid the crowded malls, and would rather spend it by watching television at home with the family."