St. Stephen's Day

On St. Stephen's Day in Dublin, the Christmas Horseracing Festival begins.St. Stephen’s Day is a Catholic holiday. Traditionally, boys dress up as chimney sweepers, smear soot faces and walk the streets singing hymns and raising money for charitable purposes.

On St. Stephen’s Day in Dublin, the Leopardstown Christmas Festival begins.

St. Stephen is the patron saint of horses, so this day is closely associated with horse racing and hunting. The first race at the Leopardstown racecourse was held in 1888. And now in Leopardstown, 23 such events are held annually.