Italian Word of the Day: Il Giorno di Santo Stefano (St. Stephen’s Day / Boxing Day)

Today’s word is part of our Italian Christmas Word Advent Calendar series. Each day throughout December, we’ll post a word or phrase that is related to the holiday season. Enjoy!

The day after Christmas, the 26th of December, is a Christian festivity called Il Giorno di Santo Stefano in Italian, which is known as St. Stephen’s Day in English.

/ˈsan.to ˈste.fa.no/
how to say boxing day in italian

December 26th was a normal working day until it became a holiday from 1947 to extend the Christmas break over two days, similar to il giorno di Pasqua (Easter) and Pasquetta (Easter Monday). In some countries where the Orthodox or Protestant church presides, it is celebrated on the 27th.

I negozi riaprono il 27 di Dicembre, dopo Santo Stefano.

The shops re-open on the 27th after Boxing Day.


Santo Stefano celebrates Saint Stephen, one of the first deacons of the Christian church. His talent as a preacher made him very popular until he was accused of blasphemy by the Jewish community and sentenced to death. Today he is venerated as the protomartyr because he is considered to be the first to have died to testify his belief in Jesus.

There isn’t a precise tradition on the day of Santo Stefano. Usually families eat the leftovers from the day before and spend time together at home.


Ethics statement: Below you will find affiliate links. If you buy something after clicking the link, we will receive a small commission. To know more about our ethics, you can visit our full disclosure page. Thank you!

Lingopie (affiliate link) is the Netflix of language learning application that uses real TV shows and movies to help you learn a new language. You can choose a show to watch based on your fluency level, and use the interactive subtitles to get instant translations to help you learn quickly.

Are you interested in improving your Italian in a fun and stress-free manner? Then we highly recommend Serena Capilli's short stories in Italian (affiliate link), designed for beginners, advanced beginners, and lower intermediate learners (A1-B1 CEFR). These stories have been optimised for English speakers in search of a fun, laid-back learning experience! Read our full review here.


Leave a Comment