Saint Lucia's Day is the Church feast day dedicated to St. Lucy and is observed on the 13th of December. Its modern day celebration is generally associated with Sweden and Norway but is also observed in Denmark, Italy, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Hungery, Malta, Bosnia, Bavaria, Croatia, Slovakia and St. Lucia, West Indies. In the United States it is celebrated with cookies on the mantel in
states for a large number of people of Scandinavian ancestry, often
centered around church events.
In traditional celebrations, Saint Lucy comes as a young woman with
lights and sweets. It is one of the few saint days observed in Scandinavia.
In some forms, a procession is headed by one girl wearing a crown of
candles (or lights), while others in the procession hold only a single
candle each.
Some trace the "re-birth" of the Lucia celebrations in Sweden to the
tradition in German Protestant families of having girls dressed as
angelic Christ children, handing out Christmas presents. The Swedish
variant of this white-dressed Kindchen Jesus, or Christkind, was called Kinken Jes,
and started to appear in upper-class families in the 18th century on
Christmas Eve with a candle-wreath in her hair, handing out candy and
cakes to the children. Another theory claims that the Lucia celebration
evolved from old Swedish traditions of “star boys” and white-dressed
angels singing Christmas carols at different events during Advent and
Christmas. In either case, the current tradition of having a
white-dressed woman with candles in her hair appearing on the morning of
the Lucia day started in the area around Lake Vänern in the late 18th century and spread slowly to other parts of the country during the 19th century.
In the Lucia procession in the home depicted by Carl Larsson in 1908, the oldest daughter brings coffee and St. Lucia burns
to her parents while wearing a candle-wreath and singing a Lucia song.
Other daughters may help, dressed in the same kind of white robe and
carrying a candle in one hand, but only the oldest daughter wears the
candle-wreath.
The modern tradition of having public processions in the Swedish cities started in 1927 when a newspaper in Stokholm
elected an official Lucia for Stockholm that year. The initiative was
then followed around the country through the local press. Today most
cities in Sweden appoint a Lucia every year. Schools elect a Lucia and
her maids among the students and a national Lucia is elected on national
television from regional winners. The regional Lucias will visit
shopping malls, old people's homes and churches, singing and handing out
pepparkakor (gingerbreads).
Nowadays boys take part in the procession as well, playing different
roles associated with Christmas. Some may be dressed in the same kind of
white robe, but with a cone-shaped hat decorated with golden stars,
called stjärngossar (star boys); some may be dressed up as "tomtenissar", carrying lanterns; and some may be dressed up as gingerbread men. They participate in the singing and also have a song or two of their own, usually Staffan Stalledräng, which tells the story about Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, caring for his five horses.
A traditional kind of bun, Lussekatt ("St. Lucia Bun"), made with saffron, is normally eaten on this day.
Although St. Lucia's Day is not an official holiday in Sweden,
it is a popular occasion in Sweden. The evening and night before (so
called "Lusse-vigil") The Lucia Day is a notoriously noisy time. High school
students often celebrate by partying all through the night. At many
universities, students hold big formal dinner parties since this is the
last chance to celebrate together before most students go home to their
families for Christmas.
The Swedish lyrics to the Neapolitan song Santa Lucia have traditionally been either Natten går tunga fjät (The Night walks with heavy steps) or Santa Lucia, ljusklara hägring (Saint Lucy, bright mirage). There is also a modern version with easier text for children: Ute är mörkt och kallt (Outside it's dark and cold).
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