Boxing Day is a welcome break after all the chaos leading up to Christmas. Kids play with new toys while mums and dads indulge in leftover Christmas dinner. But what is Boxing Day all about? We’re here to show you Boxing Day’s humble beginnings and how you can turn it into a fun day with family and friends.
What is Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a national Bank Holiday across the UK. Traditionally set the day after Christmas day, Boxing Day is a day to spend with family and friends. It’s usually filled with leftovers and lazy afternoon snoozes. However, if you were to go back in time you’d find our ancestors celebrated this day in a very different way.
Historians argue about the true origins of this national holiday but all generally agree it boils down to one of three roots:
First off is the theory that Boxing Day refers to ‘Christmas Box’. In Britain of yore, it was a day off for servants who would receive gifts from their lords and ladies. This day also allowed servants to leave manor homes and visit their families for the day.
The second origin story resembles the first in that people believe Boxing Day came about as a day for charity drives. Boxes would be placed in churches up and down the country collecting donations for the poor. On Boxing Day, this money would be collected and distributed to the least fortunate.
The last tradition has a nautical heritage. Sailing was a daring and dangerous form of transport with huge sailing ships would away for weeks and months at a time. For good luck, a captain would carry a sealed box of money. If they returned safely and the voyage was deemed a success, the box would be given to a priest to be opened at Christmas and shared among the poor.
Regardless of which story is true, Boxing Day has long been associated with charity and giving back to the community.
Past Boxing Day Activities
Despite these origins, Boxing Day also has strong ties to the much-maligned fox hunt. Up until 2004, the Boxing Day Hunts was celebrated by hunters who would don their riding gear, release dogs to sniff out a trail and hunt foxes. Since the ban on fox hunting, hunters have changed their practices. They still dress in traditional red hunting coats and sound the hunting horn. Instead of using dogs to chase foxes, they now follow artificially laid trails.
Here’s How to Shake up the Holidays
Instead of staying in and watching reruns why not try something wild and wonderful with Adventure Experience. Our amazing adventure golf courses are a great way to bring family, friends, colleagues and even the family pooch together for a bit of fun. We have a range of Florida-style adventure golf courses from the buccaneering adventures at Pirate Cove, at the Bluewater shopping centre, to the heart-pumping excitement of dodging dinosaurs at Jurassic Falls in London, Dinosaur Escape in Northolt and Dinosaur Safari in Barnet. Each of our adventure golf courses is designed down to the sights, sounds and smells of these magical worlds.
Adventure golf offers hours of fun beginners and pro putters alike. Whilst it’s not a traditional Boxing Day tradition, getting together for a game of adventure golf is a great way to get out of the house and spend time together over the festive season.
Don’t waste a glorious Boxing Day with the family. Stay active and have fun with a few rounds around some of the most exciting adventure golf courses in the UK. Contact us now for more information on Adventure Experience’s exciting activities or book now and surprise your friends and family with a new, and original, tradition.