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Lucia Dec 22, 2003 November is a cold, dark and dreary month here in Sweden, but the coming of December literally brings light to our world. Advent candles are ablaze across the country and of course in the middle of the month we have the Lucia festival, one of the most important celebrations in the Nordic countries. How Sweden came to celebrate an Italian saint is a long story… Way back in AD304, a young girl, Lucia, was executed in Syracuse in Sicily. Her crimes? She was a Christian and, what is worse, she had given gifts to the poor of the town. She was first sentenced to be burned at the stake, but was finally killed by being beheaded by a sword. Her mortal remains can today be seen in Venice. According to legends, a man became so deeply in love with Lucia’s beauty and especially her eyes that she gave him her eyes, whereupon God gave her new, even more beautiful eyes. A Lucia cult grew up in Naples where her eyes were supposed to be preserved It is believed that the Swedish tradition for Lucia celebrations comes by way of Germany. In 1764 a priest from the southern Swedish district of Skåne mentions for the first time a Lucia- like celebration in his memoirs, taken from the German tradition of a white clad young girl who deals out Christmas presents. This is thought to symbolise the Christ child. In the 1800’s students in Lund and Uppsala arranged festivities with a Lucia figure as the centre of attraction and in 1852 a traveller to Naples, one Gunnar Wennerberg, heard a melody which he brought back to Sweden with him. Swedish words were added by Arvid Rosen and the Swedish song “Sancta Lucia” was created. The celebrations remained fairly low-key, however, until 1927, when the newspaper Stockholms Dagblad organised the first real Lucia celebrations. From the calendar dating back to prior to 1753, the 13th of December was supposed to be the date of the longest night of the year and now Lucia is celebrated all over Sweden on the 13th as a bearer of light, especially in schools, day nurseries, old age homes and workplaces. Normally, all is dark until you can hear in the distance the faint sounds of singing slowly coming closer and closer. Soon the Lucia procession approaches and Lucia can be seen with a crown of candles on her head. She is accompanied by maidens, tärnor, carrying candles in their hands and tinsel in their hair and sometimes by star boys, or stjärngossar, who wear pointed white hats decorated with gold stars. Everyone in the procession wears long white gowns. The procession sings the Lucia song and other Christmas carols, then it is time for the traditional Lucia saffron and raisin buns, together with the inevitable cups of coffee Hälsningar till nästa gång, ------------ About the author: Robin Alan Bell is an Englishman by birth, but migrated to Australia back in '72. Married and divorced there. Spent the last 3 years living by myself on a remote farm in rural New South Wales with no mains electricity, water etc. All power, heating was from natural resources (solar, wind, wood). "Met" a Swedish girl on the internet, came to Sweden for a holiday, loved the place (and the girl), moved to Sweden permanently Christmas 2001 and married the girl in Easter 2002. Living happily ever after... Email Robin Alan Bell: sosoft@ozemail.com.au Comment on this column in the forum. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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