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Boxing Day
by Frann LeachBoxing Day is the name given to the day following Christmas Day in the UK and many former Commonwealth countries. It is a Bank Holiday in the whole of the UK, although it has only been a holiday in Scotland since 1998. Many other places also keep this day as a holiday, although not all call it by the same name. It often falls on the same day as St Stephens Day in other countries, particularly in Europe.
If Boxing Day falls on a weekend, the following Monday (or if Christmas Day also falls on the weekend, Tuesday) becomes the Boxing Day holiday.
The most common explanation for calling the day Boxing Day is that this is the day when the tradesmen used to call at the door for their "Christmas Box", although this practice is no longer allowed in Britain.
Boxing Day is a traditional day for race meetings, hunting and other outdoor activities, including swimming (not for the faint-hearted at this time of year). It's also the day on which many shops begin their "January sales".
In Australia, Boxing Day follows the British tradition (although it is not observed in South Australia, where it is Proclamation Day and the first day of a Cricket Test Match at the Melbourne Cricket ground).
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