Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
It is likely that Boxing Day began in England during the Middle Ages, the exact origins of the holiday are obscure. Some historians say the holiday developed because servants were required to work on Christmas Day, but they took the following day off. The superiors would give the servents gift boxes on that day to bring to home to servents families. Others believe the origin is from the alms-boxes placed in churches where parishioners deposited coins for the poor during the festive season. They were opened and the contents were distributed to the poor and needy on December 26th, the Feast of St. Stephen.
Boxing Day evolves to giving gifts to those who had rendered a service during the previous year, such as tradesmen, mail carriers, milk men, doormen, porters, and others who may have provided help. Most modern people celebrate the day as either a day of relaxation (and often sports watching) after the holidays or a day of shopping (High Street sales). It is generally the secular alternative to St. Stephen's Day (see below)
Boxing Day is one of the British bank holidays recognized since 1871 that are observed by banks, government offices, and the post office. The others include Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Whitmonday,and the bank holiday on the last Monday in August.
Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Scotland and Slovakia.
St. Stephen was one of the seven original deacons of the Christian Church who were ordained by the Apostles to care for widows and the poor. He was the first Christian martyr, stoned to death by a mob, and as he died, he begged God not to punish his killers.
Boxing Day is known as the Second Christmas Day in the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Germany, Norway, Sweeden, Finland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Catalonia.
