Uyu munsi uzwi kandi nk’Umunsi wa Mutagatifu Sitefano (St Stephen’s Day), ufite igisobanuro cyimbitse mu mateka ya Kiliziya no mu myemerere ya gikristo, cyane cyane mu bihugu by’i Burayi no mu bihugu byari bikolonijwe n’u Bwongereza.

Izina Sitefano rikomoka mu kigereki Stephanos, risobanura ikamba cyangwa umudali w’icyubahiro. Iryo zina ryafatwaga nk’irifite agaciro gakomeye, rigakoreshwa n’abami, abapapa n’abantu benshi mu mateka y’iyobokamana n’ubutegetsi.

Ariko muri Bibiliya, izina Sitefano rikoreshwa ku muntu umwe gusa, ari we Mutagatifu Sitefano wo muri Yerusalemu, wabaye intangarugero mu murimo no mu kubabara azira ukwemera.

Inkuru ya Sitefano ivugwa mu gitabo cy’Ibyakozwe n’Intumwa, igice cya 6 n’icya 7. Igaragaza ibihe bya mbere by’Itorero rya gikristo, ubwo ryari rikiri rishya kandi rigizwe cyane n’Abayahudi bemeye Kristo.

Muri icyo gihe, abakristo babanaga basangiye ibyabo, abakire bagafasha abakene, cyane cyane abapfakazi. Ariko haje kuvuka ikibazo cy’ivangura, aho abapfakazi b’Abayahudi bavuga Ikigereki batitabwagaho mu kugaburirwa nk’abandi.

Intumwa zahise zihamagara iteraniro, zisaba ko hatoranywa abagabo barindwi b’inyangamugayo bazaba bashinzwe uwo murimo wo gufasha no gukemura ibyo bibazo.

Muri abo barindwi, Sitefano yaje kuza ku mwanya wa mbere, ashyirwa imbere kubera ko yari “umugabo wuzuye kwizera kuva ku Mwuka Wera.” Intumwa zamushyizeho amaboko zimugira umwe mu ba diyakoni ba mbere b’Itorero.

Sitefano ntiyari umukozi usanzwe gusa; Bibiliya ivuga ko yakoraga ibitangaza n’ibimenyetso bikomeye, kandi ko ubutumwa bwe bwatumaga abantu benshi biyongera mu Itorero, harimo n’abatambyi b’Abayahudi.

Ibyo byateye impungenge abayobozi b’idini, cyane cyane abo mu nsengero zitwaga Synagogue of the Freedmen, zari rigizwe n’Abayahudi baturukaga mu bice bitandukanye by’Isi birimo Afurika ya Ruguru na Aziya.

Bamushinje ibinyoma, bamurega kuvuga amagambo asebya Imana na Mose, bamujyana imbere y’Urukiko rw’Abayahudi (Sanhedrin). Nubwo yari mu rubanza rwuzuyemo urwango, Bibiliya ivuga ko mu maso he hagaragazaga ituze n’ubwiza budasanzwe, “nk’ah’umumarayika.”

Aho kwirwanaho, Sitefano yababwiye amateka maremare y’Abisirayeli, agaragaza uko Imana yahoraga ikora kandi ikohereza intumwa zayo, ariko zigakangwa cyangwa zikicwa. Yabibukije ko ari bo bishe “Uwo Abahanuzi bavugaga,” ari we Yesu Kristo. Ibyo byarakaje cyane abari bamuteze amatwi.

Mu gihe cy’iyo mibabaro, Sitefano yabonye iyerekwa, abona ijuru rifungutse na Yesu ahagaze iburyo bw’Imana. Iryo jambo ryafashwe nko gusebya Imana bikomeye, maze bamukurura bamujyana hanze y’umujyi, bamwicisha amabuye. Mu gihe bamwicaga, yasengeye abamwicaga, asaba Imana kubabarira icyo cyaha.

Urupfu rwa Sitefano rwabaye intangiriro y’itotezwa rikomeye ku bakristo, bituma benshi bahunga Yerusalemu bakwira mu Buyuda no muri Samariya. Muri icyo gihe, hagaragaye umusore witwaga Sawuli, wemeye urupfu rwa Sitefano, ari na we nyuma waje guhinduka Pawulo intumwa ikomeye y’Itorero.

Nubwo atigeze ahabwa ubusaseridoti ku mugaragaro, izina rye ryubashywe cyane. Amatorero menshi, imijyi n’insengero byinshi byitiriwe Mutagatifu Sitefano, harimo na kiliziya ikomeye ya Stephansdom i Vienna muri Autriche.

Umunsi wa Mutagatifu Sitefano wizihizwa ku wa 26 Ukuboza mu matorero yo mu Burengerazuba, mu gihe mu yandi matorero wizihizwa ku yindi minsi.

Mu Bwongereza no mu bihugu bya Commonwealth, uyu munsi uzwi nka Boxing Day, ukomoka ku muco wo gutanga impano n’ubufasha ku bakene n’abakozi, ujyanye n’umurimo Sitefano yakoraga wo gufasha abatishoboye.

Kwibuka Mutagatifu Sitefano ku munsi ukurikira Noheli bitanga isomo rikomeye: ko kwizihiza ivuka rya Kristo kudatandukana n’ubwitange, kwihangana n’urukundo mu bihe by’akarengane. Ni yo mpamvu, kugeza n’uyu munsi, izina rye rikomeza kuba ikimenyetso cy’ubutwari bw’ukwemera n’urukundo rutagira imipaka.