| Saint Stephen's Day | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also called | Feast of Saint Stephen |
| Observed by | Christians |
| Type | Christian |
| Date |
|
| Duration | One day |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Boxing Day (concurrent),Christmastide,Wren Day |
Saint Stephen's Day, also called theFeast of Saint Stephen, is a Christiansaint's day to commemorateSaint Stephen, the first Christianmartyr orprotomartyr, celebrated on 26 December inWestern Christianity and 27 December inEastern Christianity. TheEastern Orthodox churches that adhere to theJulian calendar mark Saint Stephen's Day on 27 December according to that calendar, which places it on 9 January of theGregorian calendar used in civil contexts. In WesternChristian denominations, Saint Stephen's Day marks thesecond day ofChristmastide.[1][2]
It is an official public holiday inAlsace-Moselle,Austria, theBalearic Islands,Bosnia and Herzegovina,Catalonia,Croatia, theCzech Republic,Denmark,Estonia,Finland,Germany,Hungary,Ireland,Italy,Luxembourg,Madeira,Montenegro,North Macedonia,Norway,Poland,Romania,Serbia,Slovakia,Slovenia,Sweden,Switzerland andNewfoundland. The date is also apublic holiday in those countries that celebrateBoxing Day on the day in addition to or instead of Saint Stephen's Day, such as Australia,Canada,New Zealand, South Africa and theUnited Kingdom.
In theIsle of Man and in parts ofIreland, it is also known asWren Day. It was traditional to hunt awren, which would be paraded around the neighbourhood on top of a staff decorated withholly,ivy and ribbons.
Saint Stephen's Day is thesecond day ofChristmastide and is celebrated in honour of one of the firstChristian martyrs, Saint Stephen,[3] who was stoned to death in 36 AD.[4]
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In theRepublic of Ireland, Saint Stephen's Day (Irish:Lá Fhéile Stiofáin) is one of ten official public holidays.[5] Its name is sometimes shortened to "Stephen's Day" (Irish:Lá 'le Stiofáin), particularly in informal contexts.[6]
Saint Stephen's Day is also calledWren Day (Irish:Lá an Dreoilín) in parts ofIreland. Traditionally, men and boys hunted awren and placed it on top of a staff decorated with holly, ivy and ribbons. This was paraded around the neighbourhood by a group of 'Wrenboys'—typically dressed in straw masks and costumes—who sang songs and played music in exchange for donations. Today, the wren is no longer hunted, but Wren Day has survived or been revived in a few towns, where groups of Wrenboys hold small parades and carry around astuffed or fake wren.[7]
A Mummer's Festival is held at this time every year in the village ofNew Inn, County Galway, andDingle inCounty Kerry. Mumming is also a big tradition inCounty Fermanagh. Saint Stephen's Day is a popular day for visiting family members and going to the theatre to see apantomime.[8]
In most ofUlster in the north of Ireland, the day is usually known asBoxing Day, especially inNorthern Ireland andCounty Donegal.[9][10][11]
Traditionally, a wren was hunted on theIsle of Man every Saint Stephen's Day, like in Ireland. The wren's body would be hung inside a frame of holly or ivy wreaths, called the 'Wren Bush', or displayed in a small decorated wooden box with windows, called the 'Wren House'. These Wren Bushes or Wren Houses were held aloft on poles and taken around the neighbourhood by 'Wrenboys', some of whom were decked in greenery. Singing "Hunt the Wren" (Shelg yn Dreean) and beating drums, they went from house to house asking for coins. At the end of the day, a funeral was held for the wren.[12] Today, people sing and dance around a decorated Wren Bush or Wren Pole in which a stuffed or fake wren is placed.[13][14]
Saint Stephen's Day inWales is known asGŵyl San Steffan, celebrated every year on 26 December. One ancientWelsh custom, discontinued in the 19th century, included bleeding of livestock and "holming" by beating withholly branches of late risers and female servants. The ceremony reputedly brought good luck.[15]
Saint Stephen's Day (Sant Esteve) on 26 December is aholiday in Catalonia. It is traditionally celebrated with a festive meal that includescanelons. The pasta tubes are stuffed with ground meat that may include the leftovers of the previous day'sescudella i carn d'olla,turkey, orcapó. InCatalan-speaking territories the day is also known as the Second Christmas Day or theFesta Mitjana. In theValencia area a tradition is to eat with the mother's side of the family on 25 December, and on the 26th with the father's side. Historically, the Catalan holiday on the day after Christmas may be related to the practical need for time to return home after a Christmas Day gathering and may date back to the days of theCarolingian Empire.[16]
Christmas in Italy is one of thecountry's major holidays and begins on 8 December, with theFeast of the Immaculate Conception, the day on which traditionally theChristmas tree is mounted and ends on 6 January, of the following year with theEpiphany.[17] In Italy, Saint Stephen's Day became a public holiday in 1947, where previously it was a normal working day; the Catholic Church also celebrates it as a religious holiday, even if not as aprecept, as it is in Germany and other German-speaking countries. The reason for the public holiday in Italy, not required by the Catholic Church despite the fame of the saint, is to be found in the intention of prolonging the Christmas holiday, creating two consecutive public holidays, which also happens in the case ofEaster Monday, a non-religious holiday, but which only wants to lengthen Easter.[18] Before 1947 the two days were working days, with banks and offices open.[citation needed]
Saint Stephen's Day (la Saint Étienne) is marked as a public holiday as part of its shared culture across theRhine River with Germany.[19][20]
Stephanitag is a public holiday in mainlyCatholic Austria. In theArchdiocese of Vienna, the day ofpatron saint Saint Stephen is even celebrated on the feast of theHoly Family. Similar to the adjacent regions ofBavaria, numerous ancient customs still continued to this day, such as ceremonial horseback rides and blessing of horses, or the "stoning" drinking rite celebrated by young men after attending Mass.[citation needed]
The 26 December is – as Second Day of Christmas (German:Zweiter Weihnachtsfeiertag,Dutch:Tweede kerstdag,Czech:druhý svátek vánoční,Polish:drugi dzień świąt) – a public holiday in Poland, Germany, The Netherlands and the Czech Republic.[citation needed]
On this day, the men of the villages went to the girls' houses for a Stephen's Dayregélés (a custom that also appears in different versions at various times of the year). They woresheepskin furs and used abagpipe and a chained stick to make music. The ritual was also a fertility charm, a custom of ancient pagan origin. They told their good wishes, and sang songs to match the young, while the other boys asked for donations from the hosts and girls gavebokréta's.[citation needed]
Saint Stephen is also thepatron saint ofRepublika Srpska, one oftwo entities ofBosnia and Herzegovina. St. Stephen's Day, 9 January, is celebrated as the Day of the Republika Srpska orDan Republike, though mainly as an anniversary of the 1992 events rather than as a religious feast.[citation needed]
The best-known tradition linked to the Stephen's Day (Finnish:tapaninpäivä) is "the ride of Stephen's Day" which refers to asleigh ride with horses. These merry rides along village streets were seen in contrast to the silent and pious mood of the preceding Christmas days.[citation needed]
Another old tradition was parades with singers and people dressed in Christmas suits. At some areas these parades were related to checking forthcoming brides. Stephen's Day used to be a popular day for weddings as well. These days a related tradition is dances of Stephen's Day which are held in several restaurants and dance halls.[citation needed]
InBulgaria, the Orthodox Church celebrates Saint Stephen's Day, also called Stefanov Den (Bulgarian:Стефанов ден), on the third day after Christmas - 27 December.[21] On this day, the ones who have a nameday are given gifts.[22]
The remainder of Christmas Day is spent snacking, playing with toys, reading new books, or napping. December 26 is a legal holiday, and is called "Second Day Christmas." It is also Saint Stephen's Day—the feast day of a Christian missionary, once a stable boy, who came to Sweden around A.D. 1050.
On Saint Stephen's Day (December 26, "Second Christmas Day"), families make traditional visits to friends and relatives.
Definitions from Wiktionary
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