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Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. It falls on December 26, which is also St. Stephen's Day. The public observance of Boxing Day takes place on the following Monday if December 26 falls on a Saturday or Sunday. The traditional celebration of Boxing Day included giving money and other gifts to charitable institutions, needy individuals, and people in service jobs. The holiday may date from the Middle Ages (A.D. 400's-1500's), but the exact origin is unknown. It may have begun with the lords and ladies of England, who presented Christmas gifts in boxes to their servants on December 26. Or it may have begun with priests, who opened the church's alms (charity) boxes on the day after Christmas and distributed the contents to the poor.