Overview
- Boxing Day is a public holiday across the UK and many Commonwealth countries, observed the day after Christmas with family gatherings, sport and shopping.
- The name is linked to Victorian‑era ‘Christmas boxes’ for servants and tradespeople as well as church alms boxes associated with St Stephen’s Day.
- The Oxford English Dictionary reports the earliest use of “Boxing Day” in 1743, though some outlets still cite an 1833 first record.
- Statutory recognition dates to 1871 in the UK, with Scotland adopting it later, and late‑1990s trading law changes helped entrench the day as a major retail event.
- Contemporary observance varies by region, from Premier League football and sales in the UK to broader recognition across the Commonwealth, with India noting cultural awareness and local calendar overlaps reported this year.