Boxing Day

December 26^th is called Boxing Day from the old custom when people gave small sums of money to workers, tradesmen and people who do services - milkmen, postmen, dustmen …etc. - which were collected into their Christmas boxes. So the name of December 26^th doesn’t come from the sport of boxing, though nowadays there’s a tradition to watch sports shows on television on this day. Boxing Day is an extra holiday after Christmas Day.

Traditionally Boxing Day Hunts is a day for foxhunting. The huntsmen and huntswomen ride horses. They use dogs (fox hounds) that follow the smell of the fox. But the tradition of the December 26^th hunt is changing. Now, some people want to stop Boxing Day Hunts (and other hunts, too) as for them it’s a cruel sport.