"Good King Wenceslas looked out
on the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
When the snow lay round about
deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shone the moon that night
Brightly shone the moon that night
though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
When a poor man came in sight
gath'ring winter fuel."
I hope you had all a lovely Christmas and a nice Boxing Day. In Italy the 26th December is dedicated to Saint Stephen, therefore it is called “Giorno di Santo Stefano” (Saint Stephen’s Day).
Stephen was the first Christian martyr, stoned to death shortly after the Crucifixion. He was selected by the apostles as one of the 7 deacons to help with charity work and his task was to look after the poor, particularly the old. It is believed he was a Jew and then converted to Christianity. He was excellent at preaching which made him enemies. This caused him to be charged with blasphemy. At the supreme Jewish law court, the Sanhedrin, Stephen told about the many mercies that God had given the children of Israel, and the ungrateful way in which they had repaid Him. He accused them of murdering Jesus, whose coming, he said, had been foretold by Moses. This angered the crowd and he was dragged out onto the streets. He was then stoned to death according to the law at that time. His stoning was witnessed by Saul who was to become Saint Paul in later times.
Saint Stephen is often represented carrying a pile of rocks or with rocks on his head.
4 comments:
Dove trovi tutti questi bei santini e info sui santi? E' molto interessante! Io vengo da Porto S. Stefano e ricordo che nella nostra Chiesa c'era una grande statua del Santo, portata in processione il 3 agosto. Fino a pochi anni fa (le leggi sulla sicurezza hanno affondato la manifestazione) questa processione col Santo si svolgeva in mare, la sera, con i pescherecci tutti illuminati a festa che sfilavano davanti alla nostra baia. Il primo della fila portava il Santo. Amici e parenti dei proprietari dei pescherecci erano invitati a bordo (anche io una volta ci sono andata). Era uno spettacolo moooolto toccante.
Baci da Verona a 0°C . Come va li il clima?!?
@Valeria: Thanks for your comments and your information. For those who read this blog but cannot speak Italian, Valeria comes from a lovely place in Tuscany,Italy called Porto Santo Stefano (Saint Stephen's Harbour) and Saint Stephen is their patron Saint. On the 3rd August they celebrate their saint with a procession starting form the church and carrying a statue of the saint. In the past they used to have this procession at sea on fishing boats and the first one carried St Stephen's statue. Friends and family were also invited on board. A change of the safety regulations put an end to this beautiful tradition. Thanks again, Valeria.
An interesting post and comment.
Jenny <><
How wonderful ,to read your entry and a translation of a comment.... love Jan xx
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