The Swedish Tradition of St. Lucia December 13

background:

St. Lucia is an italian saint who has been "adopted" by the swedes. (She gave her dowry to the poor. Her fiancee denounced her for this. She was blinded and burned. The flames didn`t touch her so she was stabbed in the heart. The red sash represents the wound. It is said that she appeared during a famine in sweden in the middle ages carrying food yo yhe farmers across Lake Vännern.)



She is associated with the odea of light. In the middle ages, December 13 fell on the longest day of the year. (In Sweden, the sun is not up very long in winther. In some places it doesn´t come up at all.) This holiday celebrates the fact that the days will get longer.








Today:

On the morning of december 13, the oldest daughter dresses in a special long white with a reed riboon around the waist and white socks and no shoes.

She puts a wreath made out of leaves on her head. The wreath has 6 - 8 candles on it. Nowadays the candles are usually battery powered light bulbs instead of real candles. Her sister also wear special long withe dresses but they have shiny ribbons around their waists and they have another shiny ribbon around their heads. They carry s candle in their heands. Her brothers wear a special long white gown with a shiny sash and pointed hat with three stars on it. They carry a baton with a star on it. They are called star Boys.
The children serve coffee and special bread o he rest of the family. They walk into the bedroom with the oldest daughter in the front, followed by the next tallest girl, down to the smallest. Then the boys follow with tallest in the fron. As they bring in the Lucia bread and coffee the girls sing "Santa Lucia" ( in swedish, of course), and then the boys song " Stefan was a Stabe-boys". The children then go to their neighbors and teachers and serve them the coffee and bread.