In Canada, Boxing Day (French: le Lendemain de Noël) is a federal statutory holiday. Both the Boxing Day Test cricket match held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race begin on Boxing Day. In Australia, Boxing Day is a public holiday in all jurisdictions except the state of South Australia, where a public holiday known as Proclamation Day is celebrated on the first weekday after Christmas Day or the Christmas Day holiday. When Christmas Day is a Sunday, the Boxing Day holiday is still on the 26th, while Tuesday 27 December is the substitute holiday for Christmas Day. Where 25 December falls on a Saturday and 26 December falls on a Sunday, the Christmas Day substitute holiday always takes place on Monday 27 December, while the Boxing Day substitute holiday always takes place on Tuesday 28 December. Unlike the contemporary understanding of Boxing Day itself, the bank holiday or public holiday associated with the observance always falls on a weekday. The rule of no Boxing Day on a Sunday appeared to change (quietly) around the time that the Sunday Trading Act 1994 was enacted, the last Boxing Day to land on the 27th of December was in 1993. This rule was independent of the rule of bank holidays being taken in lieu. Instead, Boxing Day would be celebrated on the Monday 27th of December and Sunday 26th of December would be called Christmas Sunday. In the UK, Boxing Day could not fall on a Sunday the 26th of December. Saint Stephen's Day, a religious holiday, also falls on 26th December. Until the late 20th century, there continued to be a tradition among many in the UK to give a Christmas gift, usually cash, to vendors, although not on Boxing Day, as many would not work on that day. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses, and sometimes leftover food. This custom is linked to an older British tradition where the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families since they would have had to serve their masters on Christmas Day. This is mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary entry for 19 December 1663. In Britain, it was a custom for tradesmen to collect 'Christmas boxes' of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year. The term 'Christmas box' dates back to the 17th century, and among other things meant:Ī present or gratuity given at Christmas: in Great Britain, usually confined to gratuities given to those who are supposed to have a vague claim upon the donor for services rendered to him as one of the general public by whom they are employed and paid, or as a customer of their legal employer the undefined theory being that as they have done offices for this person, for which he has not directly paid them, some direct acknowledgement is becoming at Christmas. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the earliest attestation from Britain in 1743, defining it as 'the day after Christmas day', and saying 'traditionally on this day tradespeople, employees, etc., would receive presents or gratuities (a 'Christmas box') from their customers or employers.' On this day, it is customary in some localities for the alms boxes to be opened and distributed to the poor. The tradition may come from a custom in the late Roman/ early Christian era wherein alms boxes placed in churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen, which, in the Western Christian Churches, falls on the same day as Boxing Day, the second day of Christmastide. The European tradition of giving money and other gifts to those in need, or in service positions, has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown it may reference the alms box placed in the narthex of Christian churches to collect donations for the poor. There are competing theories for the origins of the term, none of which is definitive. In parts of Europe, such as several regions of Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Norway, and Ireland, 26 December is Saint Stephen's Day, which is considered the second day of Christmas. Boxing Day is also concurrent with the Christian festival Saint Stephen's Day. The attached bank holiday or public holiday may take place on 28 December if necessary to ensure it falls on a weekday. It originated in Great Britain and is celebrated in several commonwealth nations. Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to poor people, today, Boxing Day forms part of Christmas celebrations, with many people choosing to take advantage of Boxing Day sales. Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December).

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