What is Second Day of Christmas?
The Second Day of Christmas is the public holiday on 26 December in many European countries. It is called the Zweiter Weihnachtsfeiertag in German, annandag jul in Swedish, Tweede Kerstdag in Dutch and drugi dzień Świąt Bożego Narodzenia in Polish. In Britain and Ireland the same date has other names and traditions, such as Boxing Day and Saint Stephen's Day. The name reflects the fact that in these countries Christmas is not a single day but a two-day public festival, with each day carrying its own atmosphere. The first day is usually the more religious and family-centred, the second a little more relaxed and social.
For most people it is an extension of Christmas, used for visiting relatives, a second festive meal, walks, sports fixtures and travel. In the Western calendar it is also the feast of Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, which is why in Austria and parts of Switzerland and Italy the same day is called Stephanstag or Santo Stefano rather than a second Christmas day. In some regions it carries local folk customs, so the same date is described differently from one country to the next.
Why it is observed
Treating Christmas as a festival of several days is old. A church council at Tours in 567 declared the twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany a sacred and festive season, and in the Middle Ages great feasts were kept over several days. In the German lands, before the Reformation, individual territories kept between one and five Christmas holidays; Germany today has two, and the Second Day of Christmas also survives as a separate public holiday in the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Poland and the Baltic states. In many places the second day coincides with the feast of Saint Stephen, so the Church's calendar and the civil holiday point to the same date.
How the date is set
The Second Day of Christmas is fixed on 26 December, the day after Christmas Day. In the Western church calendar it is also the feast of Saint Stephen.
How it is observed
On 26 December, shops, banks and offices are closed in the countries that observe it, and public transport follows a reduced timetable. In the site's 2027 data it is a public holiday in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and the Baltic states, among others. In some of those countries shops may open or sales may begin, and in the United Kingdom, where the date is Boxing Day, football leagues traditionally schedule matches. In 2027 the date falls on a Sunday. Whether employees receive a premium or a substitute day when it falls on a weekend depends on the country and the contract.
Sources
Åland Islands
Czechia
Denmark
Estonia
Faroe Islands
Finland
Germany
Hungary
Iceland
Latvia
Lithuania
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Slovakia
Svalbard & Jan Mayen
Sweden