Talk:Boxing Day

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Incorrect information, and an overly zealous approach to blocking

The article is currently blocked due to "persistent vandalism", so I can't correct an error. The "persistent vandalism" consisted of one formatting mistake by an IP editor, followed by a single instance of silliness by another IP editor; this is hardly persistent! Anyway, someone has removed the statement that Boxing Day always falls on 26th December, even when this date is a Saturday or Sunday, claiming this to be untrue. In fact, it is true. Boxing Day is always 26th December.

I'm sorry but you are wrong. It was, and possibly still is, widely held that Boxing Day cannot fall on a Sunday, but it is not universally held. I can remember one year (probably in the 1976, maybe 1971) when the Radio Times (then a BBC only TV/Radio listings magazine) labelled Monday 27th as Boxing Day, whereas the TV Times (non-BBC TV listings) labelled Sunday 26th as Boxing Day.

Whether this belief arose because 27 December would be a Bank Holiday if 26 December is a Sunday I cannot say. The Acts of Parliament make no use of the term 'Boxing Day' and I think Wikipedia would be well advised to do the same thing.

See this, for example (and there are many more): [1]. Could someone please correct the article. I'd do it myself - but I'm not allowed. Thanks. 31.52.165.66 (talk) 00:02, 27 December 2019 (UTC)

The gov.UK list of bank holidays shows Boxing Day on Dec 28 (a Monday) in 2020. Schazjmd (talk) 00:11, 27 December 2019 (UTC)

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your point. You're saying Boxing Day = December 26th no matter what, but the bank holiday associated it with it might be on the 27th or 28th? Schazjmd (talk) 00:14, 27 December 2019 (UTC)

And now I'm reading the article and it's saying exactly what I just said. I'm still not clear what you want added, and even the article you linked to says Boxing Day is a bank holiday. If Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, the following Monday is a bank holiday. Schazjmd (talk) 00:17, 27 December 2019 (UTC)

I think the confusion is due to the need to differentiate between Boxing Day and its associated bank holiday; they are not quite the same thing. Perhaps to clarify, consider Christmas Day. If 25th Dec falls on a Saturday it is still Christmas Day, but the related bank holiday is moved to Monday, 27th (in which case the Boxing Day bank holiday is moved to Tuesday, 28th, but Boxing Day itself is still Sunday, 26th). At least, this is how it is in the UK. This is the edit I was concerned about [2]. That said, the wording of the deleted sentence could be slightly improved. 31.52.165.66 (talk) 00:23, 27 December 2019 (UTC)

I think the article covers that: Boxing Day is on 26 December, although the attached bank holiday or public holiday may take place either on that day or two days later. Schazjmd (talk) 00:32, 27 December 2019 (UTC)

In the section Status by country this is the problem statement: When 26 December falls on a Saturday, Boxing Day is moved to the following Monday. If 26 December falls on a Sunday, the substitute public holiday is the following Tuesday. Here's what it should read: If Boxing Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday the associated public holiday is moved to the following Monday or Tuesday. 31.52.160.202 (talk) 11:14, 27 December 2019 (UTC)

I don't think that change (being less specific) is an improvement. I changed this: When 26 December falls on a Saturday, Boxing Day the public holiday is on the following Monday. Schazjmd (talk) 18:42, 27 December 2019 (UTC)

Purely as an observation re the above: I was born in the UK in 1954. When I was a child Boxing Day was always the first weekday after Christmas. I'm not talking about holidays here, just 'Boxing Day' proper. If the 25th was a Saturday the 26th was called 'Christmas Sunday' and the 27th was Boxing Day (see also entry for Christmas Sunday which is not one I have worked on). If the 25th was a Friday then Saturday was 'Christmas Saturday', the 27th was 'Christmas Sunday' and the 28th was Boxing Day. At all other times Boxing Day was the 26th. I can't point to published authorities for this, only the fact that I lived it. From the references to the TV guides in the 1970s above it would appear this usage was fading by then. Given that this is only personal experience I'm not proposing changes to the main text.JordiYiman (talk) 00:05, 20 January 2022 (UTC).

I looked back at old Radio Times issues for years when 26 December was a Sunday. The earliest one of those that mentioned Boxing Day at all was 1948 and it placed it on Monday 27th.

The idea that Boxing Day always falls on a weekday is misleading. I was brought up to believe that B/D was never kept on a Sunday, but it was kept on a Saturday: The Radio Times for Saturday 26/12/1953 calls it Boxing Day. [The acts which mention bank holidays don't provide for them to be transferred if they fall on a Saturday. This supports the argument that Saturday was generally thought of as a working day.]

The UK list of bank holidays is dubious as a source, as it counts Good Friday and Christmas Day as Bank holidays, whereas the acts make it quite clear that in England and Wales they aren't.

Bank Holidays | Boxing Day on a Sunday

The whole section on Bank Holidays is superfluous here at least as far as the UK is concerned. UK legislation does not use the term Boxing Day, so to say that Boxing Day is a Bank Holiday is at worst contentious and at best meaningless. Bank Holidays are covered in other articles so there is no need to go into the details of them here.

The author who is asserting that Boxing Day is always December 26 is wrong, and even the article itself contradicts him/her, citing the first recorded reference to Boxing Day explaining that it is the first weekday after Christmas Day - a very clear assertion that it does not fall on a Sunday. When I corrected the intro to the article in this vein, and admin asked me to give a source (so I just used the same source as in the "date" section). Why is no source required for the assertion that Boxing Day always falls on 26/12? That workers received their Christmas Box on a Sunday is unthinkable, so if that is origin then the assertion is wrong.

As there is no legal definition of Boxing Day, and it is not a religious holiday, its meaning all comes down to custom and tradition. The only facts appear to be that some people hold that it always falls on 26 December, whereas others hold that it does not fall on a Sunday. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Cardinal 1962 (talk • contribs) 09:45, 10 April 2020 (UTC)

Effectively the older tradition has been largely superseded and there are clashes because rules people used to be taught are no longer abided by. I remember a mess in 1993 (the first Sunday 26th December in over a decade) when even the Radio and TV Times disagreed. Increasingly a lot of post Christmas activities happen or start on the 26th (not that long ago things often waited until the first full weekday) and are invariably referred to as "Boxing Day" every year - next year the "Boxing Day sales" will start on Sunday, there will be "Boxing Day football" and so forth and they will all be using "Boxing Day" to mean that very day. However some older traditional events will not start/happen on Sunday 26th - for instance the "Boxing Day hunts" will not happen until the next day. Timrollpickering (talk) 14:22, 23 July 2020 (UTC)

In 1993 (and before) Radio Times called Sunday 26 December "Christmas Sunday" and the next day Boxing Day https://video-collection-international.fandom.com/wiki/Radio_Times:_18th_December_1993_to_1st_January_1994#Monday_.28December_27.2C_1993.29_.28Boxing_Day.29

But in 1999 they changed their minds - https://video-collection-international.fandom.com/wiki/Radio_Times:_18th_to_31st_December_1999#Sunday_.28December_26.2C_1999.29_.28Boxing_Day.29

It seems there was internal debate at the Radio Times and come 1999 the Sunday 26 side won. But contrary to what the article suggests I don't think it was the 1994 Sunday Trading Act that changed things. Instead it seems the BBC was a late hold out with a big internal debate in 1993 and then come 1999 they just conformed to what everyone else was doing. Others had gone for Sunday 26 in 1993 including the TV Times and Whitaker's Almanack.[3] Football seems to have been split between the 26[4] and 27.[5] The Liverpool Echo suggests the sales were on the Sunday[6] - remember that the old Sunday closing laws were widely flouted especially if the fines would be exceeded by the potential profits.[7] Timrollpickering (talk) 12:57, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

Saint Stephen's day

In Romania 27the of December is Saint Stepgen's Day and in Hungary as well as far as I am aware.. 2A04:241E:2500:E80:40D6:AB7C:BCEF:FF27 (talk) 19:36, 28 December 2021 (UTC)

"In parts of Europe, such as several regions of Spain,[2][3] the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Slovakia,[4] Slovenia, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Norway, and the Republic of Ireland, 26 December is Saint Stephen's Day, which is considered the second day of Christmas."

St Stephen's Day is 26 December throughout [Western] Christendom. If 25 December is the first day of Christmas, then 26th is the second, whether it's St Stephen's Day or not. This paragraph is at best superfluous and at worst misleading, and also nothing to do with Boxing Day. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.26.202.209 (talk) 12:54, 14 August 2024 (UTC)

I fully agree with that paragraph being problematic. Where I'm from, the Netherlands, the second day of Christmas is a national holiday, but it is not considered 'st. Stephen's day'. I have never heard that name to be honest, while growing up in a Christian (protestant) family household.

If you ask me, best would be (if the paragraph is left at all) if that paragraph said something like "Instead of boxing day, in parts of Europe the 26th of december is also celebrated in other ways. This would include Saint Stephen's Day (if wanted, add countries here), or simply having the second day of Christmas as an official national holiday (if wanted, add countries here). 2001:1C02:C19:2000:6801:12B2:94AA:FC0E (talk) 16:45, 23 December 2024 (UTC)

Agreed. I came here looking for which countries had a special name for it (like St. Stephen's) vs. just calling it "Second Day of Christmas". Curiosity not satisfied! Newkai (talk) 00:47, 26 December 2024 (UTC)

Boxing day

Tell.me the meaning 105.112.30.120 (talk) 23:24, 25 December 2022 (UTC)

toronto

any pictures from elsewhere? 3MRB1 (talk) 07:02, 9 February 2024 (UTC)

It is fuckin great

It is!! 187.188.166.213 (talk) 14:36, 14 May 2024 (UTC)