After the long Christmas Eve and Christmas lunch, 26 December in Campania has a rhythm of its own. It is still a holiday, most shops are closed and families are still together, but the mood is more relaxed: it is a day for visiting relatives, for walks, for the first outings to the villages. In some places, however, Saint Stephen's Day is the most important day of the year. Here we explain how it is celebrated and what to do if you are in the region.
Who was Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen is remembered by the Church as the protomartyr, the first Christian killed for his faith: according to the Acts of the Apostles he was stoned in Jerusalem. His feast falls on the day after Christmas, which is why 26 December is a public holiday throughout Italy. In Campania many churches are dedicated to him: in Capri, for example, the church of Santo Stefano overlooks the Piazzetta with its baroque façade. In some towns the saint is also the patron, and then 26 December becomes the village feast.
The Maio of Saint Stephen in Baiano
The most spectacular case is Baiano, in Irpinia, where Saint Stephen is the patron and his feast has a very ancient rite: the Maio. Preparations begin as early as Saint Lucy's Day, with dawn Masses. Then, on Christmas morning, the men of the village climb into the Arciano woods to choose and fell the tallest, straightest tree. The trunk, marked with the red of the martyr saint, is carried into town among songs, music and blank shots from arquebuses, and in front of the church of Santo Stefano it is blessed and raised by sheer strength of arms and ropes.
On Christmas afternoon the great focarone bonfire is lit, and people sing and dance around it into the evening; on 26 December the patron saint's procession closes the feast. All the details are on the page for the Feast of the Maio in Baiano. Our advice is to be there on Christmas morning for the arrival of the Maio and to come back on the 26th for the procession.
Living nativity scenes opening after Christmas
26 December is also when many Campanian living nativity scenes welcome their first visitors or get into full swing. Every year in the hamlet of Casali di Faicchio, at the foot of the Matese mountains, the old village becomes a Bethlehem of two thousand years ago on evenings after Christmas, often starting on Saint Stephen's Day itself. On the plateau of the Lattari Mountains, the Agerola living nativity is one of the longest-running in the region, inspired by eighteenth-century Naples, and its evenings usually fall between Saint Stephen's Day and early January.
In the days just after comes the Pietrelcina living nativity, in Padre Pio's home village, with hundreds of costumed figures in the lanes of the Rione Castello. If you are near the coast, on many evenings between Christmas and Epiphany you will also find the nativity in the Valle Lavatoio at Pimonte and the one in Albori, above Vietri sul Mare. We always recommend checking dates and times before setting off and booking for the busiest routes.
Day trips and walks
For many Campanian families 26 December is the day for a gita fuori porta, a trip out of town: a walk in a village, a stroll under another city's lights, a visit to a famous crib. There is no shortage of destinations. On the Amalfi Coast, every year between Saint Stephen's Day and early January the folk groups of Amalfi's hamlets parade for the Amalfi folk New Year, as described on the page for Christmas and New Year in Amalfi. In Sorrento the lights of M'Illumino d'Inverno brighten evening walks until Epiphany.
In Naples, weather permitting, a walk through the historic centre is always a good idea: San Gregorio Armeno is crowded, but the atmosphere of the nativity workshops is worth it. Remember that on the 26th many museums and services keep holiday hours: check before you go.
Christmas leftovers
Saint Stephen's Day also has a very practical side: a full fridge. After the Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas lunch, the 26th is when Campanian kitchens show their talent for using things up. The insalata di rinforzo is "reinforced" with a few new ingredients, the marinated eel, which gains flavour as the days pass, comes back to the table, and leftover fried food is warmed through in the pan. Pasta and vegetables turn into frittatas and bakes, and every family has its own way of wasting nothing.
Lunch on the 26th is often more informal, with relatives who were not seen the day before and children playing with their presents. The trays of sweets stay on the table, from struffoli to roccocò, which we cover in our article on Christmas sweets of Campania, and in the evening the Neapolitan tombola inevitably returns.
Our practical tips
If you are planning a trip between Christmas and New Year, bear in mind that on 26 December public transport often runs a reduced timetable and that the roads to the best-known living nativities can be very busy in the evening. Dress in layers, especially for outdoor routes in the mountains, and wear comfortable shoes: many nativities wind along steps, stone lanes and paths.
For the full festive picture see our article on Christmas in Campania (in Italian) and the one on Christmas Eve. Saint Stephen's Day, after all, is the perfect day to discover that the holidays in Campania do not end on the 25th: in many villages they have only just begun.
