St. Stephen's Day

St. Stephen's Day commemorates St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, or protomartyr.

Why is it important?

Saint Stephen's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Stephen, is a Christian saint's day to commemorate Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr or protomartyr, celebrated on 26 December in Western Christianity and 27 December in Eastern Christianity.

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. In Latin Christian denominations, Saint Stephen's Day Saint Stephen's Day is the second day of Christmastide.

St. Stephen was a Christian deacon in Jerusalem known for his service to the poor and his status as the first Christian martyr (he was stoned to death in AD 36).

Who was St. Stephen?

The First Martyr

St. Stephen is known to be the first Christian martyr. It's believed he was stoned in Jerusalem around 36 A.D.

Irish Myth

According to an Irish myth, a wren betrayed St. Stephen while he is hiding from his enemies, leading to his eventual demise.

Viking Raids

Another Irish myth tells the story of Irish soldiers being caught by Viking intruders due to the noise of a wren that had started eating crumbs from a drum.

Saint Stephen's Day in Ireland

(Wren Day)

In Ireland, this day is sometimes called 'Day of the Wren,' which alludes to several legends, including those found in Irish mythology and linking episodes in the life of Jesus to the wren. St. Stephen's Day stems from the Catholic tradition, and some Christians may even go to the church for a special sermon on this day.

Rituals

On this day, boys used to traditionally go on hunting trips to hunt down a wren by throwing stones at it. They tied the wren to a stick when it was dead and showed it off around the whole village. The children did this to collect money for a dance or party for the whole village. By 1900, this tradition of killing wrens and parading them on St. Stephen's Day had died out. However, St. Stephen's Day is still referred to as the Day of the Wren, especially in rural Ireland.

Bank Holiday

Due to its Catholic roots, St. Stephen's Day has been a holiday in Ireland for many years. It was only in 1871 that it became a public holiday after the Bank Holidays Act of 1871 was passed.

Traditions

People dress up in old clothes, wear straw hats and travel from door to door with fake wrens and they dance, sing and play music. This tradition is less common than it was a couple of generations ago.

Depending on which region of the country, they are called "wrenboys" and mummers. A Mummer's Festival is held at this time every year in the village of New Inn, County Galway, and Dingle in County Kerry.

Saint Stephen's Day is a popular day for visiting family members and going to the theatre to see a pantomime.

Celebrations in other Countries

Catalonia

Saint Stephen's Day (Sant Esteve) on 26 December is a traditional holiday in Catalonia, in northeastern Spain. It is celebrated right after Christmas, with a big meal including canelons. These are stuffed with the ground remaining meat from the escudella i carn d'olla, turkey, or capó (capon) of the previous day.

In the Valencian Country the tradition is to eat with the paternal family, since the day of Christmas is tradition to eat with the maternal family.

Austria and Germany

Stephanitag is a public holiday in mainly Catholic Austria. In the Archdiocese of Vienna, the day of patron saint Saint Stephen is even celebrated on the feast of the Holy Family. Similar to the adjacent regions of Bavaria, 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.

Finland

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.

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.