Early one winter morning, a girl in a long white gown appears, with a
crown of candles on her head and a song on her lips.
It's Lucia Day - Sweden's own 'festival of light'! But who was the real
Lucia? Lucia Day is 13
December - Lucia's name-day. Throughout the country you can see candlelit
processions of Lucias with their white-clad
attendants, both girls and boys. The day commemorates St Lucia of Syracuse, a
Catholic saint. Legend has it that she was a
young Christian girl living in Sicily at the height of the Roman Empire.
The Romans had not yet become Christians and
condemned Lucia to death. She was executed on 13 December
304 AD, and became a martyr.
Many historians are convinced Lucia actually
existed, and that she was killed for her Christian faith.
There are many stories about her. Not all of
them may be true, but they are exciting to read about.
Lucia is very brave
In one story, Lucia showed great courage. She was to marry a man who
was not a Christian. Women were supposed to bring a dowry with
them when they wed - money, livestock or expensive gifts. But Lucia
gave away her dowry to poor Christians.
The man she was supposed to marry informed the Romans of this and
they came round to kill her. First they tried to drown her, but
failed. Then they tried to burn her to death, then ran her through
with a sword. The blood soaked her white gown. This is why present-day
Lucias have a red ribbon round their waists.
Another story tells how Lucia's Christian friends hid from the
Romans in underground passages. It was very dark down there, and when
Lucia went down to see them she had food in both hands. So she
fastened a candle in her hair in order to see better. This is why the
Swedish Lucia has a crown of candles. She often arrives with coffee
and saffron rolls (lussekatter) as well.
According to a third story, Lucia was a Christian girl with
wondrously beautiful eyes. A prince fell in love with her. He was not a
Christian,
though, so Lucia turned him down. To show her faith in God, she poked
out her own eyes and gave them to the prince. He immediately
converted to Christianity. Lucia was given beautiful new eyes by
God. This is why Lucia is said to be the patron saint of vision.
The Swedish Lucia
In Sweden, Lucia Day has been celebrated for centuries, but not
always in the same way. It used to be a very special occasion - it was
thought to be the longest and darkest night of the year, when
hobgoblins and witches were afield and the animals talked the language of
humans.
In the Middle Ages, Lucia Day was the time when the pre-Christmas
fast (advent) began. People were not allowed to meat, only fish, until
Christmastime. By Lucia Day, you were supposed to have stored all
your grain and slaughtered and prepared whatever animals were to
provide the Christmas delicacies. The Christmas pig was supposed to
be slaughtered on the eve of Lucia Day. When morning came, you
ate as much as you could - people sometimes put away seven
breakfasts!
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the first Lucias appeared -
young girls clad in white gowns. Accompanied by other 'Lucia figures'
wearing coats turned inside out, she went from farm to farm at the
head of the parade. They sang and had fun, and were given food and
drink.
The first 'Lucia bride' had no crown of light and no white-clad
attendants. They appeared later. The modern Lucia procession first saw
the light of dawn in the 19th century, by which time she had a
lighted crown and a train of 'bridesmaids' and 'star-boys'.
Lucia arrives early in the morning, when it's still dark. She serves
coffee, saffron rolls and gingerbread to those she
visits.
Contests to find a suitable Lucia began in Stockholm in 1927. A
Stockholm newspaper asked its readers to vote
for the girl of their choice. Nowadays, Lucia contests are
commonplace. You can vote for Sweden's Lucia, for your
town's Lucia and for many other different kinds of Lucia. But the
Lucia contests are becoming more and more like
beauty contests. In the old days, all Lucias were supposed to have
long blonde hair, but this is no longer the case.
Lucia processions are to be found just about everywhere in Sweden
today, and many people, especially
teenagers, go to parties or concerts on Lucia Eve. This is known as
'seeing Lucia in'. The celebrations often go on
all night. Many local authorities and schools organize discotheques
for young people, with a no-drink and no-drugs
profile.
Some of these celebrations get out of hand. Many young people drink
beer, wine and spirits, and there are sometimes fights and
trouble with the police.
But most Lucia celebrations are great fun - even if you may feel a
bit under the weather next day...