<P> Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated on the day after Christmas Day . It originated in the United Kingdom, and is celebrated in a number of countries that previously formed part of the British Empire . Boxing Day is on 26 December, although the attached bank holiday or public holiday may take place either on that day or two days later . </P> <P> In the liturgical calendar of Western Christianity, Boxing Day is the second day of Christmastide, and also Saint Stephen's Day . It is also celebrated as Saint Stephen's Day in Ireland and the Catalonia region of Spain . In some European countries, such as Hungary, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia, 26 December is celebrated as a Second Christmas Day . </P> <P> There are competing theories for the origins of the term, none of which are definitive . The Oxford English Dictionary gives the earliest attestations from Britain in the 1830s, defining it as "the first week - day after Christmas - day, observed as a holiday on which post-men, errand - boys, and servants of various kinds expect to receive a Christmas - box". </P> <P> The term "Christmas - box" dates back to the 17th century, and among other things meant: </P>

Where did the term boxing day come from