Boxing Day is hardly celebrated in the US, but in most other English-speaking countries, it is observed the day after Christmas. Traditionally, Boxing Day is the second day of Christmastide, when the wealthy would give to the needy. Since the 1800s, during Queen Victoria’s reign over the British Empire, British servants were given a day off along with a present from their employers. In Ireland and Catalonia (Spain), it is called St. Stephen’s Day. The Christian Church also played a role: they would collect tithes and donations in a box throughout the year, open it on Christmas Day, and distribute the contents to the needy the following day.

In British Commonwealth countries, soccer was traditionally played on Christmas Day until the 1950s, when attitudes toward sports matches on the sacred holiday shifted. As a result, Boxing Day became the day when everyone would gather to watch a football match.