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St. Stephen's Day
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ST. STEPHEN'S DAY

St. Stephen’s Day is celebrated on August 20 and is an official national holiday in Hungary. Its celebrations are pivotal since this is the day when the foundations of the state of Hungary were laid. This day is observed in order to pay tribute to King Stephen thanks to whom the establishment of the state of Hungary became possible. The celebrations are marked primarily by a massive fireworks display beside the river Danube. St. Stephen’s Day is considered a very sacred day by the people of Hungary.
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St. Stephen’s Day is celebrated on August 20 and is an official national holiday in Hungary. Its celebrations are pivotal since this is the day when the foundations of the state of Hungary were laid. This day is observed in order to pay tribute to King Stephen thanks to whom the establishment of the state of Hungary became possible. The celebrations are marked primarily by a massive fireworks display beside the river Danube. St. Stephen’s Day is considered a very sacred day by the people of Hungary.
December 26 is St. Stephen's Day, or the Feast Day of St. Stephen, a Christian saint's day to commemorate St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. In Ireland, St. Stephen's Day is one of nine official annual holidays on the calendar. Always falling on December 26, the day after Christmas, this day has come to also be known as the "Day of the Wren" (pronounced "Day of the Ran"). There are many legends as to the origins of the Day of the Wren, or "Lá an Dreoilín" in Irish, but it generally focuses around a story in which the life of Jesus is likened to that of a little bird. On the Day of the Wren, groups would go from door to door in their neighborhood wearing old clothes and straw hats and playing music and dancing. Depending on where you are from, these groups are either called Mummers or Wren-boys. This tradition has died out in all but a few small spots of the country in recent years.
St. Stephen’s early life is virtually unknown. Many theories or guesses are recorded but true facts are not available. The most reliable documentation of St. Stephen’s life appears in the Bible within The Acts of the Apostles around the year of 34 A.D. Documented by St. Luke, The Acts of the Apostles describes the happenings of the early church after the Ascension of Jesus Christ beginning around the year of 33 A.D. through the year of 63 A.D. “St. Stephen was one of the many disciples of Jesus Christ and was a man looked upon by many people as having much grace, a strong mind, strong faith and full of the Holy Spirit. He wandered among the people and worked many wonders and signs.” It is however, still unclear how or when Stephen became a disciple.
Ancient tradition tells us that while Advent brought God to man through the Incarnation of the Word, so the twelve days between Christmas and the Epiphany were to bring man to God. On the very first day after Christmas we meet the first member of the suite of the Great King. The Saviour's immediate attendant is St. Stephen of Jerusalem, the first martyr, for there is no greater love for the newborn King than to lay down one's life for Him. Even though the Mass of the day indicates that this feast was originally independent of the Christmas cycle, the Divine Office unites this feast with Christmas in the most intimate fashion. The children, especially small boys, would be happy to hear the story of St. Stephen as it is written in Matins of his feast day:
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 many countries December 26 commemorates the life of St. Stephen, a Christian deacon in Jerusalem who was known for his service to the poor and his status as the first Christian martyr (he was stoned to death in AD 36). In Hungary August 20 is observed in honour of King Stephen of Hungary, who united the country under Christianity in AD 1000 and was canonized in 1083 for his accomplishment. St. Stephen's Day is observed on Sunday, December 26, 2021.
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