Day of Goodwill in 2024

Day of Goodwill in South Africa

In South Africa, December 26th is a public holiday known as the Day of Goodwill. Before 1994, the day was celebrated as Boxing Day. Though the name has changed, the traditions of Boxing Day remain. As it is summer in South Africa, non-traditional Christmas activities such as going to the beach are popular.

When is Boxing Day?

This public holiday is celebrated on December 26th in several countries as part of the Christmas holidays.

Typically it will be moved and celebrated on the next working day if December 26th is a Saturday or Sunday.

Traditions of Boxing Day

It has been said that the name of Boxing Day comes from people getting rid of empty boxes from presents after Christmas day. While a beguiling notion, the tradition dates back to England in the middle ages, though the exact origin is debatable.

The name certainly has stronger ties to the Victorian era: it was first included in the Oxford English Dictionary in the 1830s and became a bank holiday in 1871.

One theory is that it comes from the fact that servants were given their presents in boxes on this day, the 26th being the first working day after Christmas day. This tradition of giving gifts for service extended beyond servants to tradesmen, such as milkmen, butchers, etc.

Samuel Pepys mentions the practice in a diary entry from December 19th 1663: "Thence by coach to my shoemaker’s and paid all there, and gave something to the boys’ box against Christmas."

Another popular theory is that it is named after the custom of priests opening alms boxes in churches after Christmas. These held money that had been donated to the poor and needy in the run-up to Christmas. Some churches still open these boxes on Boxing Day.

Boxing day is not a tradition in the United States, so that indicates that December 26th didn't become observed as such until the late 18th century, otherwise, it would have been imported to the Americas by settlers from England.

United Kingdom

Boxing Day has been a Bank Holiday in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland since 1871. Having this status during the height of the British Empire explains why this holiday is still celebrated in many Commonwealth countries.

Hunts were a Boxing Day tradition but the 2004 ban on foxhunting put an end to all that. However, many people still regularly turn out to support hunting. Certain modified forms of hunting foxes with hounds are still within the law and several Boxing Day meets take place every year.

Boxing Day is also a time when the British show their eccentricity by taking part in all kinds of silly activities. These include bizarre traditions such as swimming the icy cold English Channel, fun runs and charity events. 

St. Stephen's Day

In non-Commonwealth countries, the day is more commonly referred to as St Stephen's Day or the Feast of Stephen as mentioned in the carol 'Good King Wenceslas'.