Boxing Day

(in Britain) the first weekday after Christmas, when Christmas gifts or boxes are given to employees, letter carriers, etc.

[1825-35]

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▪ public holiday

      in Great Britain (United Kingdom) and some Commonwealth countries, particularly Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, holiday (December 26) on which servants, tradespeople, and the poor traditionally were presented with gifts. Explanations for the origin of the name have varied, with some believing that it derived from the opening of alms boxes that had been placed in churches for the collection of donations to aid the poor. Others, however, have held that it came from the boxes of gifts given to employees on the day after Christmas. According to this theory, because the work of servants was required for the Christmas Day celebrations of their employers, they were allowed the following day for their own observance of the holiday. The practice of giving bonuses to service employees has continued, although it is now often done before rather than after Christmas Day.

      When December 26 comes on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday is designated as the official public holiday. December 26 is also the feast day of Saint Stephen, the patron saint of horses, and Boxing Day has come to be a day of sporting events, including horse races, fox hunting, and rugby. The holiday was not perpetuated by the English in the American colonies.

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