The ancient Greek word "ἐλύομεν" ≈ "give up" is the first-person plural imperfect indicative active of the ancient Greek word "λύω" ≈ "loosen, release, solve" and, if context indicates, "dissolve" or "destroy".

Saint Stephen's Day commemorates the martyrdom of Stephen as recorded in the book of Acts.

• It is celebrated on December 26 in the Latin Church (the second day of the twelve days of Christmas) using the Gregorian calendar.
• It is celebrated on January 9 in the Eastern Orthodox Church using the Julian calendar (13 days difference in calendars plus one day for Church differences).

King Wenceslas was the son of Duke Borivoy of Bohemia during the Middle Ages. Bohemia was an area of southeast Germany - though Germany did not exist at that time.

• King Wenceslas reigned over Bohemia, taught by his mother.
• A devout Christian, he did many good deeds to help his people.
• Assassinated by his brother, forgave him as he died.
• His brother later converted and took after his brother.

Bohemia is now part of the Czech Republic. The coat of arms for the Czech Republic contains the "Crown of Wenceslaus". The Czech name is "Václav".

The song "Good King Wenceslas" was written in 1853 by John Mason Neal, who also translated and wrote "O come, o come Emmanuel".

Saint Stephen's Day, the "Feast of Stephen" in the song, commemorates the martyrdom of Stephen as recorded in the book of Acts.

Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen,
when the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even.

A popular Gideon Bible has three languages: English, Czech and Slovak.

The Czech and Slovak languages are pretty much mutually intelligible, but are written somewhat differently. This contains three separate New Testaments, Czech, Slovak, and English bound into one volume.

• Czech Title: Nový Zákon Našeho Pána a Spasitele Ježíše Krista Podle ekumenického vydání z r. 1985
• Slovak Title: Nová Zmluva Nášho Pána a Spasiteľa Ježiša Krista Podľa Prekladu Redakčnej komisie Slovenskej evanjelickej cirkvi a. v. v ČSFR

The Czech and Slovak languages are pretty much mutually intelligible, but are written somewhat differently. After the Roman Empire fell about 500 A.D., areas such as France, Spain, Russia, and England consolidated into countries within the next 1,000 years. It was not until the 19th century that Italy and Germany became countries. Until then, they were a collection of individual areas.

Wenceslas was raised by his devout Christian grandmother. When his father was killed in a battle, Wenceslas, at the age of 15, rose to the throne in 921 A.D. His twin bother and mother tried to overthrow him but were defeated. Instead of executing his mother and brother, he exiled them.

For years after, Wenceslas put his Christian beliefs into practice, helping his subjects, providing gifts and assistance when needed. He was revered and loved by his subjects. His actions helped keep the spirit of the gift-giving of the original Santa Claus (i.e., the bishop Saint Nicholas) a tradition.

On his way to prayers in 935 A.D., he was surprised by a familiar voice. Turing around, his brother had returned and his conspirators stabbed Wenceslas to death. According to legend, as he was dying he forgave his brother. His brother converted to Christianity too and helped continue the spirit of Wenceslas.

In 1853 the hymn writer John Mason Neale composed the lyrics for the song based on the story while Thomas Helmore took the melody from a 13th century tune called "Tempus adest floridum", Latin for "The time is near for flowering".

Originally just a Duke, the title of King was later conferred on him.