Saint Stephen's Day

This article is about the feast day of Saint Stephen, the martyr of Jerusalem. For the feast day of the Hungarian saint, see Stephen I of Hungary. For the episode of Doctor Who, see The Feast of Steven.

Saint Stephen's Day
Also calledFeast of Saint Stephen
Observed byChristians
TypeChristian
Date
  • 25 December (Armenia)
  • 26 December (Western)
  • 27 December (Eastern; Gregorian calendar)
  • 7 January (Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
  • 9 January (Eastern; Julian calendar)
FrequencyAnnual
Related toBoxing Day (concurrent), Christmastide, Wren Day

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 marks the second day of Christmastide.[1][2]

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, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine, Switzerland and Newfoundland. 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, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

  1. ^ Lopez, Jadwiga (1 January 1977). Christmas in Scandinavia. World Book Encyclopedia. ISBN 9780716620037. 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.
  2. ^ Crump, William D. (15 September 2001). The Christmas Encyclopedia (3 ed.). McFarland. p. 25. ISBN 9780786468270. On Saint Stephen's Day (December 26, "Second Christmas Day"), families make traditional visits to friends and relatives.