According to history, Boxing Day was the day that the wealthy used to give each of the  household staff a Christmas ‘Box’. Alternatively, it was the day the contents of the church collection boxes were distributed to the needy. And apparently, if you’re in the Bahamas, the locals celebrate Boxing Day with a street parade and festival called Junkanoo, in which traditional dancers in elaborate costumes fill the streets.

But really, Boxing Day is a mystery to me. I prefer the idea of mystery box, containing secret things. Japanese have been crafting mystery boxes, or puzzle boxes for a couple of centuries.

 

tomomaru – 4 step puzzle box – wood, traditional Japanese inlay

 

The puzzle box originated in the Hakone region of Japan at the turn of the 19th century as the Himitsu-Bako, or Personal Secret Box. When given as a gift, the boxes usually contain a good luck charm or perhaps money.

They are constructed in such a way as to require several moves to open them, and the exteriors display fabulous traditional Japanese wood inlay patterns – no simple  box with a lid here. The real trick is remembering how to open them – they come in various complexities, ranging from two moves to open, to apparently hundreds.

But any closed box will do. A plain, unopened, cardboard box is just as much of a mystery. Enjoy this mysterious day.