After Christmas Comes Boxing Day?

Hello everyone

This is AWork Study Abroad Academy :)

Did you all enjoy your Christmas break?

Did you know that abroad, besides Christmas Eve and Christmas Day,

there’s actually a separate name

for December 26th, the day after Christmas?

Commonwealth countries, some parts of Europe, and even Hong Kong

designate it as a holiday, making the days around Christmas a long break.

And when the holiday happens to fall on a weekend,

it's customary to have a substitute holiday

on the following Monday or Tuesday so people can still get the day off.

< What Is Boxing Day? >

So why is the day after Christmas called ‘Boxing Day’?

We need to go back in time a bit.

In Victorian-era Britain, wealthy households

would give their servants

boxes filled with clothes, food, wine, and other gifts on the day after Christmas.

Churches would also, after finishing their services,

hand out collected donations to the poor and those in need,

and this is considered the origin of the tradition (sort of).

As time went on,

people working at shops or large houses

would also be given boxes filled with gifts, one for each person.

The "box" in Boxing Day refers to

the Christmas gift box itself

(it has nothing to do with the sport of boxing)

That's why, in places like Canada,

stores often hold big sales on Boxing Day

instead of Black Friday.

You've probably heard a lot about Black Friday,

and similarly, department stores and shops open extra early.

In Korea, Homeplus once ran a Boxing Day event,

which traces back to when the British company Tesco

operated it together with Samsung C&T :)

< How People Abroad Celebrate Boxing Day >

If you go abroad to study a language, besides Christmas,

you'll also get to experience the new culture

of celebrating and enjoying Boxing Day.

Let's take a look at how people typically spend Boxing Day.

1) Volunteering

Since Christmas and Boxing Day both originated with the church,

some people take part in church fundraising events

to help those in need as a way of marking the day.

Even outside of church, some people join charity events

or volunteer to spend the day.

Spending Boxing Day this way can make for a warm-hearted end to the year.

2) Watching Sports

Football, in particular, plays a big part

in Boxing Day tradition and celebrations.

Matches are held, and sometimes families or friends

even play a game of football together.

There are even ice swimming competitions held in some places,

so if that interests you, a unique Boxing Day might be for you.

3) Spending Time with Friends and Family

This is probably the most common way to spend it.

Since it's a holiday, meeting up with friends or family,

having a cozy meal together,

and catching up on conversations you didn't get to have is a nice way to wrap up the year.

A common thing to do is turn the leftover turkey from Christmas dinner

into a completely new dish.

In the UK and Canada, restaurants often offer

buffets or carvery services for Boxing Day.

4) Shopping

As mentioned above, Boxing Day

is also a day with plenty of post-Christmas sales.

Big shopping malls in particular run sales

on a wide range of products,

so it could be your chance to snag something you've had your eye on!

That said, there can be long lines,

and stores may have shorter hours than usual,

so we recommend checking ahead before you go :)

In today's post, we looked at Boxing Day,

a foreign custom that's still unfamiliar in Korea —

what it means and how to spend it.

You can also check out the AWork Study Abroad Academy website

for lots of content to help with your language study abroad life,

and feel free to ask us anything, anytime :)

Curious what language study abroad programs

AWork Study Abroad Academy is currently running?

☑️Visit AWork Study Abroad Academy☑️

Business Hours 10:00 - 19:00 (Closed weekends / public holidays)

Email info@aworkacademy.com

Contact 1855-0631