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Local author's mother inspires immigrant saga 'Beyond the Cobblestones'
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DECEMBER 2021
A MONTHLY NEWSPAPER SERVING THE ITALIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY WWW.ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM
Stained glass at the Bourges Cathedral in France depicts Lucianus finding the tomb of St. Stephen.
By Jeanne Outlaw-Cannavo
The Christmas season in Catholic Italy focuses on the meaning of the season with not only Christmas but nine other holidays in a reverent and joyful time. This differs from here in the United State even as Christmas draws crowds of the faithful to services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It seems more of the focus is on parties and shopping sprees as advertisers entice us, even before Thanksgiving, to get started with our purchases to make sure we get the best deals. While gift giving in Italy is part of the holiday, it is not as important as celebrating the birth of Christ and spending time with family and friends.
Dec. 25 is the most solemn and joyous of days as Italian Catholics celebrate the birth of Christ. The following day, Dec. 26 is also
a much-loved and celebrated holiday with La Festa di Santo Stefano. In the United States, the day after Christmas has become a day
to return gifts or to continue shopping for great buys. However, in Italy it is a public holiday to honor Christianity’s first saint Santo Stefano. As the first acknowledged saint, celebrating him takes place on the
day immediately following the birth of Jesus. He is the patron saint of stonecutters, bricklayers, deacons, and those who suffer from headaches and migraines.
The festival of Santo Stefano became a national holiday in 1947 with the intent
to extend holiday celebrations and to add solemnity to the celebration of the birth of Christ. Only one other holiday in Italy enjoys the same status and that is Easter, with the celebration of Pasquetta (Little Easter) the following day.
Santo Stefano is considered the first deacon of Jerusalem. The Acts of the Apostles tells how, after the death of Christ, the 12 apostles were completely devoted to preaching the word of God and for this reason could not dedicate their time to serving the people. In order to help the population, they chose seven of their disciples to dedicate themselves to the day-to-day needs of the population. The first among the seven chosen disciples was Santo Stefano. He was a pious and well-loved man among the Christians but particularly feared by the Hebrews. In their eyes, he was guilty of the conversion to Christianity of many of the Jewish population who had survived the diaspora.
Around 34 A.D. some of the Hebrews accused Stefano of blasphemy and brought him before the Sinedrio of Jerusalem (The Sanhedrin or Supreme Council of the Jews)
for judgment on his actions. During the hearing, Stefano proclaimed himself a son
of God who sat at the side of his father. This further inflamed the people who had brought him to trial and those present dragged him from the judicial hall and stoned him to death. It is believed by some scholars that this transpired after Pontius Pilate was removed from power in a period when governance of Jerusalem was assumed by the Sinedrio. The date of his martyrdom is approximate based on when Pontius Pilate ruled. The theory is that if Pontius Pilate had still been Governor, he would have crucified Stefano as he did with Jesus. The stoning, however, was typical of the Hebrew manner of execution at the time.
Centuries after his death, sometime around 415 A.D., the scholar Gamaliele,
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La Festa di Santo Stefano
The day after Christmas honors the first Christian saint
Vol. 8 / No. 12