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St. Stephen's Day in Switzerland

Quick Facts

The Feast of Saint Stephen is a public holiday in large parts of Switzerland.

Local names

Name	Language
Stephanstag	German
Saint Etienne	French
Santo Stefano	Italian
St. Stephen's Day	English

Alternative name

2nd day of Christmas

St. Stephen's Day 2012

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

St. Stephen's Day 2013

Thursday, December 26, 2013
List of dates for other years

The Feast of Saint Stephen on December 26 is a public holiday in large parts of Switzerland. The observation is nowadays commonly considered the second and last day of Christmas. However, according to Christian liturgy it does not have anything to do with the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ but is a religious holiday in its own right.

The last Christmas sweets are eaten on St. Stephen's Day. ©iStockphoto.com/Adrian Assalve

What do people do?

Many people in Switzerland spend St. Stephen's Day with family and friends. Some may attend a church service, others use the last work-free day of the Christmas period to relax at home or go on long walks or skiing trips.

Public life

St. Stephen's Day is a public holiday or “silent day” in the following cantons:

Appenzell Innerrhoden
Appenzell Ausserrhoden
Bern
Basel-Landschaft
Basel-Stadt
Glarus
Graubünden
Lucerne
St. Gallen
Schaffhausen
Schwyz
Thurgau
Ticino
Zurich

It is also a public holiday or “silent day” in some communes of the following cantons:

Aargau
Solothurn

In these areas, offices, banks, schools and most businesses are closed. This may also be the case in the rest of Switzerland. In most areas, public transport runs on a reduced schedule.

Background

According to the Bible, Saint Stephen was a contemporary of Jesus Christ. In Christianity, he is considered the arch martyr because he is said to be the first person executed on grounds of his Christian faith.

St. Stephen's Day Observances

Weekday	Date	Year	Name	Holiday type	Where it is observed
Fri	Dec 26	1980	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Sat	Dec 26	1981	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Sun	Dec 26	1982	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Mon	Dec 26	1983	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Wed	Dec 26	1984	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Thu	Dec 26	1985	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Fri	Dec 26	1986	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Sat	Dec 26	1987	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Mon	Dec 26	1988	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Tue	Dec 26	1989	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Wed	Dec 26	1990	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Thu	Dec 26	1991	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Sat	Dec 26	1992	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Sun	Dec 26	1993	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Mon	Dec 26	1994	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Tue	Dec 26	1995	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Thu	Dec 26	1996	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Fri	Dec 26	1997	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Sat	Dec 26	1998	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Sun	Dec 26	1999	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Tue	Dec 26	2000	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Wed	Dec 26	2001	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Thu	Dec 26	2002	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Fri	Dec 26	2003	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Sun	Dec 26	2004	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Mon	Dec 26	2005	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Tue	Dec 26	2006	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Wed	Dec 26	2007	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Fri	Dec 26	2008	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Sat	Dec 26	2009	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Sun	Dec 26	2010	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Mon	Dec 26	2011	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Wed	Dec 26	2012	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Thu	Dec 26	2013	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Fri	Dec 26	2014	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS
Sat	Dec 26	2015	St. Stephen's Day	Common Local holidays	All except GE, JU, VD, VS

Other holidays in December 2012 in Switzerland

Feast of the Immaculate Conception ―Saturday, December 8, 2012
Christmas Eve ―Monday, December 24, 2012
Christmas Day ―Tuesday, December 25, 2012
New Year's Eve ―Monday, December 31, 2012

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