The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day, and it is also Saint Stephen’s holy day. Saint Stephen’s Day commemorates Stephen, regarded in Christian tradition as the first Christian martyr, or protomartyr.
In Western Christianity, the feast falls on December 26, the second day of Christmastide. Eastern Christian traditions generally observe it on December 27, although calendar differences can shift the civil date. The connection explains why Boxing Day is also called Saint Stephen’s Day in parts of Europe and Ireland.
Boxing Day’s name has a separate, less certain history. It may refer to church alms boxes opened for the poor, or to “Christmas boxes” of money and gifts given to servants, tradespeople, and employees. Thus, the holiday is both a Christian feast day and a later social and public holiday. It is not named for the sport of boxing.