In commonwealth countries, the day after Christmas day is a holiday but known as Boxing Day. December 26th, 2009 Headsman. On the Feast of St. Stephen of Hungary - On September 2 Holy Mother Church honors the Apostle of Hungary, St. Stephen the king. It is an official public holiday in Alsace-Moselle, Austria, the Balearic Islands, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Catalonia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Montenegro, Norway, the Philippines,[citation needed] Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine, and Switzerland. As a protector from the bubonic plague, Sebastian was formerly one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Today, the day after Christmas, is the Feast of St. Stephen. St. Stephen the Great (977-1038), was the son of the Magyar chieftain Geza, Stephen succeeded him as leader in 997. Saint Stephen's feast day is December 26 in the Western Church (the "feast of Stephen" mentioned in the popular Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas," and the Second Day of Christmas) and December 27 in the Eastern Church. Saint Stephen, whose feast day is today, was stoned to death for his faith as the man who would become the great Apostle Paul watched approvingly. And on this second day of the octave, the Feast of St Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, is inserted into the joy of Christmas. Image credit: St. Stephen from the Demidomm Altarpiece by Carlo Crivelli, 1476. Saint Stephen's Day falls on 9 January because the Serbian Orthodox Church adheres to the Julian calendar. The Church celebrates the Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. It is celebrated right after Christmas, with a big meal including canelons. Today is the second day in the octave of Christmas. Mumming is also a big tradition in County Fermanagh in Ulster. The place of St Stephen’s martyrdom is traditionally identified as being close to the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, where today there is a church dedicated to the martyred deacon. Stephen is the patron saint of deacons, headaches, horses, coffin makers, and masons. The book of the Acts of the Apostles presents him to us as “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (6:5), chosen with six others for the service of widows and the poor in the first Community of Jerusalem. In 1949 the country’s communist regime promulgated a new constitution on that day with the intent of transforming the Christian-themed holiday into a politically inspired one, which they renamed Constitution Day. When King Saint Stephen died on Assumption Day, 1038, the young commonwealth was plunged once more into disorder. St. Stephen’s Day, also called Boxing Day, Wren Day, or Constitution Day, one of two holidays widely observed in honour of two Christian saints. In the days following the birth of Christ, the Church presents us with three feasts that exemplify three kinds of “martyrdom.” Saint Stephen’s is the martyrdom willed and endured. St. Stephen was the first Christian martyr, and although the celebration of this important feast on the day after Christmas may seem like an odd placement in the liturgical calendar, it was on Dec. 26 in the year 415 A.D. that his relics were found and transferred via procession to a church in Jerusalem. Prayer to St. Stephen . December 25: Christmas Mass During the Day December 26: Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr December 27: Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist December 28: Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Year A, Year B, Year C Catholic Readings for January to December He came from a family of Hellenists, Jews who had emigrated from Palestine to the Greek-speaking provinces of the Roman Empire. Born: Unknown . The best-known tradition linked to the Stephen's Day (Finnish: tapaninpäivä) is "the ride of Stephen's Day" which refers to a sleigh ride with horses. [7] This name alludes to several legends, including those found in Irish mythology, linking episodes in the life of Jesus to the wren. The 26th of December is – as Second Day of Christmas (German: Zweiter Weihnachtsfeiertag, Czech: druhý svátek vánoční) – a public holiday in Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic. Christ rises in indignation as the first martyr is brutalized St. Stephen . He came from a family of Hellenists, Jews who had emigrated from Palestine to the Greek-speaking provinces of the Roman Empire. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/St-Stephens-Day. Stephanitag is a public holiday in mainly Catholic Austria. In Britain, Boxing Day is also known by the name St. Stephen’s Day.Stephen, a man “possessing great wisdom and full of the Spirit,” was the first Christian martyr as recorded in Chapter 7 of the Book of the Acts of The Apostles in the Bible. St Stephen of Burgos Profile. 12 yuletide questions answered", "Christmas and New Year in Ireland Long Ago", "Wales on Britannia: Welsh Culture & Traditions", Public holidays in the Republic of Ireland, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saint_Stephen%27s_Day&oldid=993353987, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from December 2016, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2014, Articles containing Catalan-language text, Articles containing Finnish-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 27 December (Eastern – Gregorian calendar), This page was last edited on 10 December 2020, at 04:21. In Ireland the holiday is sometimes called Wren Day, because in the past a wren would be killed and taken door-to-door by children asking for money in exchange for a wren’s feather, which people believed brought good luck. His story can be read about in the New Testament Acts of the Apostles, chapters 6 and 7. Already raised a Christian, in 996 he wed the daughter of Duke Henry II of Bavaria and devoted much of his reign to the promotion of the Christian faith. In Western Christianity, 26 December is called "Saint Stephen's Day", the "Feast of Stephen" mentioned in the English Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas". Feast Day of St. Stephen. Stoned outside Jerusalem, he died praying for his executioners. Wish me luck. August 20th has been a national holiday since 1771 when Queen Maria Theresia changed it from a church feast … Saint Isidore of Seville • Saint stories. This feast day celebrates San Esteban (Saint Stephen), the patron saint of Acoma’s Sky City, and is the patron saint not only of the pueblo but also of the mission church that was built in his honor. Updates? Feast Days. Christmas Day. Saint Stephen, Deacon, the First Martyr c. Early First Century–c. 36. 1 January. It is a public holiday in many nations that were historically Catholic, Anglican or Lutheran, including Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Poland, Italy, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Catalonia and the Balearic Isles. Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr Lectionary: 696. Christ rises in indignation as the first martyr is brutalized Austria, Czech Republic, Germany and Poland, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Why is Stephen's Day called Boxing Day? A mosaic of Saint Stephen at the St Stephen Walbrook church, City of London Credit: Getty - Contributor. . [4], In the Republic of Ireland, the day is one of nine official public holidays. Worked in Spain. The date is also a public holiday in those countries that celebrate Boxing Day on the day in addition to or instead of Saint Stephen's Day, such as Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Reading 1 . You may also like. 31 st December. as your Patron Saint . Omissions? Jerusalem, Judea, Rome Empire . White Vestments. On the second day in the octave of Christmas, we celebrate the Feast of St. Stephen, an early Church deacon and the first Christian martyr. Saint Stephen's feast day is December 26 in the Western Church (the "feast of Stephen" mentioned in the popular Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas," and the Second Day of Christmas) and December 27 in the Eastern Church. The Book of Acts 6-7 tells us about Stephen. St. Stephen is often depicted with stones, a Gospel Book, a miniature church and a martyr's palm frond. Died: Circa 34. Happy Feast Day! “Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen.” Well, King W was actually a Bohemian duke who lived in the 10th century. A group of Jewish Hellenists strongly resented Stephen’s preaching of salvation through Jesus. His feast day is Dec. 26. Pray, that I may be generous in making sacrifices Epiphany. The Eastern Orthodox Churches that adhere to the Julian calendar mark Saint Stephen's Day on 27 December according to that calendar, which places it on 9 January of the Gregorian calendar used in secular contexts. The Book of Acts (chapters 6 and 7) describes Stephen as a man "full of grace and power," as well as a skilled speaker. Honored In: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican Communion churches . 26 December: Feast of Saint Stephen. In most of Ulster in the north of Ireland, the day is usually known as Boxing Day, especially in Northern Ireland and County Donegal (chiefly East Donegal and Inishowen). from Saints and Feast Days, by Sisters of Notre Dame of Chardon, Ohio. In Catholicism, Sebastian is the patron saint of archers, pin-makers, athletes (a modern association) and of a holy death. Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59. He gave his patronage to Church leaders, helped build churches, and was a proponent of the rights of the Holy See. At the age of ten, Stephen came to the Palestinian monastery of Saint Sabas (Mar Saba), where for the next fourteen years he received his spiritual and intellectual formation from his uncle, the Church Father Saint John of Damascus. St Stephen. One of the first deacons of the Church was a man named Stephen, a man filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. In commonwealth countries, the day after Christmas day is a holiday but known as Boxing Day. 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