A martyr whose day is set in stone

PROFILE; SAINT STEPHEN: He is the patron saint of horses, headaches and stonemasons, among other things, but the man whose name is synonymous with post-Christmas lethargy and leftover turkey died a grisly death, writes ROSITA BOLAND

PERHAPS IT'S APPROPRIATE that, in Ireland at least, many people spend St Stephen's Day in a relatively low-key way, after the traditional lengthy celebrations and cloistered excess of the previous day. Many of us associate the day after Christmas with such benign traditions as turkey leftovers, but how many people know that St Stephen, the person who gives his name to this day, was stoned to death?

Little is known of the early life of the man whom it is accepted is the first Christian martyr. His name comes from the Greek name Stephanos. Stephen is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as being appointed as one of seven deacons to take care of the poor of society, including widows and orphans. So popular did he become as he carried out this work, and so many people came to hear him preach the word of God, that enemies of the church were furious. They did what people of every generation in positions of power who are suspicious of others' influence and popularity do: they spread incendiary and false rumours against him.

If your stomach is weak it might be best to skip the next two paragraphs. Stephen was tried in about 30 AD for blasphemy against Moses and God, and found guilty. Before a mob he stoutly declared that he saw "the heavens opened and the son of man standing on the right hand side of God".

He was thrown down from a height, possibly a viewing platform, into a waiting mob, who were being incited by Paul of Tarsus. It is likely, according to the visceral customs of the time, that the ritual first stone to begin crushing his body was so huge it had to be lifted by two men before it was dropped on to him. Then everyone else took up their stones, big and small, and flung them until he was dead and after. Stephen apparently prayed for his tormentors even as he was being murdered.

His feast day is observed by, among others, the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran and Oriental Orthodox churches. Unsurprisingly, his image is often accompanied by three stones. In common with other saints, such as St Jude, who is, famously, the patron saint of hopeless and desperate cases, Stephen has a number of patronages. Surprisingly, among these many patronages is being the patron saint of stonemasons. Perhaps the intention is a reminder that the tools of their craft can be as dangerous as they are useful.

Among Stephen's other patronages are of deacons, horses, coffin makers and against headaches. The link with horses is unclear. Presumably, the fact that he was the first Christian martyr who needed to be interred is why he is the patron saint of coffins makers. As for being the patron saint against headaches, that seems to be an unfortunate reference to the fact that the mob aimed at his head in their stone-throwing.

St Stephen's Day is celebrated in different ways depending on the region and country. Just as St Patrick's feast day is often informally referred to as Paddy's Day, in Ireland December 26th is frequently rechristened Stephen-zesssssssss Day.

St Stephen's Day is also known as Wren Day in some parts of the country. One of several Irish legends goes that St Stephen was hiding from the mob when his presence was betrayed by an agitated wren. Hence the (now defunct) tradition of going out on December 26th to hunt a wren and stone it to death in symbolic atonement. When dead, the wren was tied to a holly stick and paraded around the village streets, while one of the hunters collected money for the spectacle. Sometimes a feather was handed to the person donating money. The money was used for a celebratory party later.

Today, people - primarily small boys - still go out on the morning of the 26th, singing and collecting money. There are several versions of the Wren Boys' song. The best-known begins:

The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,

On Saint Stephen's Day was caught in the furze,

Although he is little, his family is great.

I pray you, good landlady, give us a treat.

In the UK St Stephen's Day is known as Boxing Day. The origin of the name has nothing to do with the sport of being in the ring and on the ropes. It goes back to the time when servants were part of many households. Their employers naturally wanted their services on Christmas Day, since they were probably not themselves personally acquainted with the workings of a stove. In return for working on the 25th servants were allowed the next day to go and visit their own families.

Before they headed away they were given the boxed-up leftovers from the day before, and they were also given money, which was put into a box that each servant carried. Hence the term, still in use for rewarding workers who exceed their duties, that refers to giving someone a Christmas box.

In addition to lending his name to December 26th and a number of patronages, St Stephen is also publicly commemorated in various countries. In Ireland, Dublin's beloved city-centre park, St Stephen's Green, is named after him. Elsewhere, there are halls, churches and chapels, including a church in Brisbane, a cathedral in Vienna, a gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, and a school in the Philippines.

He also features in one of the most famous Christmas carols, Good King Wenceslas.

Good King Wenceslas looked out

On the feast of Stephen

When the snow lay round about

Deep and crisp and even.

This year it's likely that some Irish people will have the rare opportunity of hearing Good King Wenceslas on the radio on St Stephen's Day and looking out of their windows as they listen to the carol to see that snow in some form or other.

Curriculum vitae

Who is he?The first Christian martyr, whose feast day is December 26th

Why is he in the news?We're two days away from St Stephen's Day

What is he (in)famous for?Being stoned to death

Most curious fact about himHe is the patron saint of coffin makers

Where is he publicly commemorated in Ireland?St Stephen's Green in Dublin is named after him