20 August
Saint Stephen’s Day

20 August – Hungary’s National and State Holiday

20 August is Hungary’s national and official state holiday, commemorating the foundation of the Hungarian state and its founding monarch, King Saint Stephen (Szent István).

It is also a major feast day of the Hungarian Catholic Church, celebrated in honour of Hungary’s principal patron saint. The memory of King Stephen, canonised on 20 August 1083, has played a significant role in Hungarian history, with interpretations and forms of celebration evolving over the centuries.

In the Árpád era, the cult of Saint Stephen served to legitimise the ruling dynasty. Over time, this took on a more ecclesiastical character with the growing veneration of the Virgin Mary. In 1686, Pope Innocent XI ordered the Catholic world to commemorate Saint Stephen annually, in celebration of the liberation of Buda from Ottoman rule. In 1771, Empress Maria Theresa declared 20 August a national holiday and had the Holy Right (Stephen’s mummified right hand) brought to Buda, symbolising the legitimacy of Habsburg rule in Hungary.

Following the suppression of the 1848–49 Revolution and War of Independence, the Bach era banned the celebration of Hungary’s first king as a symbol of independent statehood. However, in 1891, Emperor Franz Joseph declared 20 August a public holiday. Between the world wars, national sentiment resurged, and in 1938, the Diet of Székesfehérvár passed legislation officially commemorating Saint Stephen and establishing a national holiday.

The communist regime did not abolish the day but reframed it from 1950 as the celebration of the People's Republic and the Constitution.

Following the regime change, in 1991 the Hungarian Parliament re-established 20 August as a state holiday, distinct among Hungary’s national commemorations.