Why do we refer to December 26 as Boxing Day?

It's the day after Christmas where leftovers, shopping sales, winter walks as well as watching football and rugby matches are a must, as the festive celebrations continue.

But how did Boxing Day come to be?

Well, the origins of the occasion is debate among historians but it appears the UK public bank holiday on December 26 is a tradition that dates back to the Victorian era.

(And no, the day isn't related to the sport of boxing).

Under the reign of Queen Victoria, the name was coined back in 1871 and it referred to the boxing up of gifts that the rich used to give to the poor.

It's not just the UK that celebrates Boxing Day, with other Commonwealth countries such as Canada, Australia, Nigeria and South Africa also marking the day.

While the day is also celebrated as Saint Stephen's Day in Ireland and in Spain's Catalonia region.

While there are theories to how the Boxing Day got its name.

On this day, servants would take the day off and also received a Christmas present called a "Christmas box" from their masters, hence how the name 'Boxing Day' could have arose.

It could also refer to churches collecting money from the congregation which was stored in a money box and was opened to give to the poor on Christmas - so the name may be referring to this money 'box'.

Here's what happens when Boxing Day falls on a weekend:

If December 26 falls on a Saturday, then the Boxing Day bank holiday is moved to the next Monday and if it falls a Sunday, then the holiday is the following Tuesday.

While nowadays Boxing Day is known as the time stores have sales on, this year some shops are closed on December 26 to give staff members an extra day off.

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.