Icon from the hand of Luke Dingman December 13th commemorates St. Lucia Day for Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran Christians. (In England, she is called "St. Lucy".) My daughter was not quite three years old when she participated in the first St. Lucia Procession we ever attempted at our church. Now, 20 years later, she watches and sings with the adults as the young girls process down the aisle, following the oldest girl, who represents Lucia and is wearing a "crown" of candles. I'm sure each girl, dressed in a white gown with red sash - symbolizing the saint's commitment to purity and her martyrdom - anticipates the year she will finally wear the traditional "Lucia Crown" (with battery-operated candles, as opposed to open flames!) HER HISTORY Lucia was a Christian, living in Sicily during the fourth century. Her parents had arranged for her to wed, against her will. Lucia vowed to remain a virgin, instead of marrying a pagan, and gave her dowry to the poor. Her fiancee denounced her and reported her to the authorities. Since Christianity was against the law at that time in the Roman Empire, Lucia was put to death. HER CELEBRATION During the Middle Ages, Swedes "adopted" this Italian saint. The name Lucia itself means "light", which the people of Sweden don't see a lot of during the winter. December 13th was the longest night of the year (Winter Solstice under the old Julian Calendar) so, in the darkness of Sweden, this holy-day also celebrated the fact that the days would begin to grow longer. The traditional "St. Lucia Procession" originated in Sweden, and is practiced in homes, churches, and communities there. In Norway, children bring the procession to nursing homes and hospitals, serving lussekatt buns to the elderly. Scandinavian immigrants have brought the celebration to the U.S. - look for Swedish Christmas Fairs and Lutheran churches in your community that might host processions during December (that's how I saw my first St. Lucia Procession!) Take a minute or so to watch this beautiful traditional Swedish Lucia Procession... PICTURE BOOKS ABOUT ST. LUCIA: Lucia Saint of Light, by Katherine Bolger Hyde, illustrations by Daria Fisher (ages 6 and up). Do you have a daughter who is interested in knowing why girls wear white dresses, balance a crown of candles on their heads, and carry a platter of saffron buns on St. Lucia Day? Katherine Bolger Hyde does a wonderful job of explaining these customs, in this beautiful book with two parallel stories - about a modern-day girl named Lucy, and a 4th-Century Saint named Lucia. The tales are interwoven as Lucy prepares to celebrate her "nameday" and her mother explains to her the origins of the story of St. Lucia and the background behind the traditions of her celebration and her association with Sweden. At the end of the book, you'll find the "Santa Lucia" song (with words and music), her icon, verses from her Feastday Aposticha, and a recipe. Lucia Morning in Sweden by Ewa Jydaker, illustrated by Carina Stalhberg. (ages 5-10) A story about three children as they prepare for their St. Lucia Day celebration. It includes the Lucia song, recipes for ginger snaps and saffron buns, a summary of the Lucia legend, and two patterns for the Lucia gowns. (You'll have to search for this cute book, which is currently out of print.) Lucia, Child of Light: The History and Traditions of Sweden's Lucia Celebration, by Florence Ekstrand. (Also currently out of print, but probably available at your local library.) This book introduced us to Saint Lucia when my daughter was young. It traces the history of St. Lucia and includes a recipe and the Lucia song in both English and Swedish. (ages 6 and up) Kirsten's Surprise: A Christmas Story, by Janet Beeler Shaw. (ages 9-12) From the AMERICAN GIRL series: a short story about Kirsten Larson, a nine-year-old girl from Sweden, who has moved with her family to the Minnesota frontier in 1854. With Christmas approaching, Kirsten is excited about introducing her cousins to the Saint Lucia celebration. The day before Saint Lucia Day, Kirsten's father decides to go get the family's trunks out of storage (where Kirsten's dress is being stored) and Kirsten is just dying to go with him. However, as a Minnesota winter storm descends, she finds that her help is more needed then she could have imagined.
Luciadagen, or St. Lucia’s Day, is a special day in Sweden that is celebrated annually on December 13th. Also known as the Festival of Lights, St. Lucia’s Day occurs one week after St.…
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December 13th is the shortest day of the year. In the old 'Julian' Calendar it was a solstice day and a pagan festival of lights. In Sw...
Seven depiction of St. Lucy presenting her own eyes.
St. Lucia's Day is a festival of light in the darkest days of winter. Here's how we as Protestants celebrate her day. Get your free guide...
St Lucia Day 13 December Sweden
It's been a flurry of activity at our house over the past week or so with 4 very excited kids preparing for Santa's arrival. ...
This morning we celebrated St. Lucia. St. Lucia Day is a Swedish holiday celebrated at Christmastime on December 13th. St. Lucia...
Saint Lucy brings light to the darkest time of the year on December 13th. After she got her candle crown, she was paraded in Helsinki. Sonja Sjöblom is Finland's first brunette Saint Lucy (Lucia-neito). Earlier all of them have been blondes. More my photos from the parade in here.
My Ebay find: an adorable St. Lucia doll Tomorrow is St. Lucia's Day, a favorite Advent holiday in many Scandinavian countries. Lucia lived in Syracuse, on the island of Sicily, in the 3rd century. She died at age 20 because she refused to renounce her Christian faith. Her name, which derives from the word Lux, means light, so this feast day is especially appreciated during the cold, dark days of December. In Sweden, a young girl in each family dresses in a white robe with a red sash and wears a candle-lit crown on her head. She awakens her family members in the morning with a call to "share breakfast with me," then serves them special sweet buns and coffee. Although my family isn't Scandinavian, I grew up in Minnesota, a state where almost everyone considers themselves at least partially Scandinavian! In any case, my daughter looks forward to dressing up and serving the family every year. I purchased a crown a few years ago from Hemslojd, a Scandinavian online store. It uses battery operated candles, which are much safer than real candles! This year, we will also be planting wheat berries, a tradition in Hungary, Croatia and other European countries. I ordered a St. Lucia wheat planting kit from The Confraternity of Penitents Gift Shop in Middletown, Rhode Island. They suggest planting the seeds on December 13 so green shoots will be showing by Christmas. They then recommend placing the plant near your Nativity set to remind us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a word that means "House of Bread" and that bread (including the host used at Mass) is made of wheat. We will be reading: 1) How to Make a Swedish Christmas by Helen Ingeborg. This book is filled with recipes and has some Swedish craft ideas, including directions on making heart-shaped woven tree ornaments and a straw Julbock (goat). 2) Lucia: Child of Light: The History and Traditions of Sweden's Lucia Celebration by Florence Ekstrand. A great little book that explains the history behind the Lucia festivities, in addition to information about tomte (Swedish elves or little people), plus recipes and lyrics for popular holiday songs like Santa Lucia. 3) Lucia Morning in Sweden by Ewa Rydaker. A fiction story that follows the adventures of the Svensson family as their three children get ready for Lucia Day. Resources: How to Make a Swedish Christmas! Crafts - Recipes - Traditions Lucia, Child of Light: The History And Traditions of Sweden's Lucia Celebration Lucia Morning in Sweden
December 13th is St. Lucia Day...make the day special with these ideas to celebrate a Christ Centered St. Lucia Day!
Are Swedes great in bed? Do they really eat rotten fish? Read on to find out if everything you thought is true before moving to Sweden.
December 13th is the Feast of St. Lucy, also known as St. Lucia Day (Luciadagen) in Sweden. In Sweden, the oldest daughter of a family will wake up before dawn on St. Lucy's Day and dress in a white gown for purity, often with a red sash as a sign of martyrdom. On her head she will wear a wreath of greenery and lit candles, and she is often accompanied by "starboys," her small brothers who are dressed in white gowns and cone-shaped hats that are decorated with gold stars, and carrying star-tipped wands. "St. Lucy" will go around her house and wake up her family to serve them special St. Lucy Day foods." ~ Fisheaters Since our second daughter celebrates one of her "namedays" on this feast, she and our oldest share the honors. :-) I just noticed that our St. Lucy links and ideas are scattered all over, between our past St. Lucia Day Celebrations (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 Eve & Morning), our Little Flowers Meeting on St. Lucy, and "L Week" for the Alphabet Path, so I thought I would try and organize them into one post and add a few ideas from others as well. Note: I've had this post in my draft file for awhile now, but just didn't have a chance to finish it up... I think I have all the links I've added so far in place, but I will probably come back when I have time to add a few more. Happy St. Lucia Day! ~ Recipes ~ Bake Saint Lucia's Braided Bread. Serve Cuccia, St. Lucy Wheat, for breakfast. Make St. Lucia Buns, Lussekatter. (I'd love to hear if any one has any tips on where to buy affordable saffron threads. I had to scratch it off my shopping list the other day when a small packet was priced at $19.99.) Bake Gingerbread Cookies. (We will be having some this afternoon while we color and read a few books!) Serve Coffee. For a quick and easy alternative, you can do like we did back in 2007 and serve donuts for as an alternative to the crown shaped sweet bread, or shape canned cinnamon roll dough into St. Lucia Buns. ~ Sing ~ Sing "Santa Lucia:" The silver star shines on the sea, the waves are gentle, the wind is favourable. Come to my swift little boat! Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia! O dear Naples, o blessed land, where creation was pleased to smile! Come to my swift little boat! Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia! Sing the following to the tune of "Are You Sleeping?": O, Saint Lucia, O, Saint Lucia, Wearing white, Lighting up the darkest Lighting up the darkest Winter night, Winter night. Print a Saint Lucia Puppet Song and Coloring Picture. ~ Story-time ~ In our Basket: Lucia, Saint of Light Lucia Child of Light Hanna's Christmas Lucia Morning in Sweden Bells of Santa Lucia Lucia, Saint of Light is a new addition to our collection this year and it is such a wonderful book to own. However, we have listened to this story before. If you don't have access to the book, you can download and/or play a podcast of it here! (Updated with correct link!) From the Library: Swedish Christmas The Tomten Kirsten's Surprise: A Christmas Story Looks intersting: Swedish Christmas Traditions: A Smorgasbord of Scandinavian Recipes, Crafts, and Other Holiday Delights ~ Crafts & Activities ~ You can make a St. Lucia Day lantern using this pdf excerpt from Ann Ball's Catholic Traditions in Crafts. Download a St. Lucia Paper Doll complete with two outfits - and of course - a crown! Hand-paint a St. Lucy Wooden Doll! I think I am going to paint a couple Star boys to go with our Santa Lucia Doll! Make Santa Lucia Peg Dolls. Make a Scandinavian Christmas Crown. Sew a beautiful St. Lucy Crown (As Cozy as Spring) out of felt or this one from JOYfilled Family. Print and put together paper Santa Lucia Crowns & Hats. (This is the first year we haven't made these! Here is the link to our paper crowns.) ~ Coloring Pages & Copywork ~ Color St. Lucy of Syracuse and St. Lucia with Star Boy from Waltzing Matilda. Create a Saint Lucia Paper Dolls from Paper Dali. Fenestrae Fidei: A Coloring Companion for Catholic Mosaic also has a beautiful coloring page, if you own this great resource. Copywork Page I created at Writing Wizard using a quote from An Alphabet of Catholic Saints. Create a St. Lucy Notebook page highlighting the virtue of Loyalty. ~ Prayers to St. Lucy ~ Saint Lucy, you did not hide your light under a basket, but let it shine for the whole world, for all the centuries to see. We may not suffer torture in our lives the way you did, but we are still called to let the light of our Christianity illumine our daily lives. Please help us to have the courage to bring our Christianity into our work, our recreation, our relationships, our conversation every corner of our day. Amen. O glorious Santa Lucia, who combined the profession of faith with the glory of martyrdom, help us to openly profess the truths of the Gospel and to walk in faith according to the teachings of our Savior.Oh Virgin of Syracuse, be thou the light in our life and the model for our actions so that, after following in thy footsteps here on earth, we can rejoice together with thee in the vision of our Lord. Amen. Relying on Your goodness, O God, we humbly ask you, by the intercession of your servant, Saint Lucy, to give perfect vision to our eyes, that we may serve for your greater honor and glory. And we pray for the salvation of our souls in this world, that we may come to the enjoyment of the unfailing light of the Lamb of God in heaven. St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, hear our prayers and answer our petitions. Amen. Sancta Lucia, Ora Pro Nobis!
Francisco del Cassa One of our favorite feasts in Advent is Santa Lucia's Day (St. Lucy ) the 13th of December. Its modern day celeb...
P.E. on Santa Lucia Day In Scandinavia on the 13 th of December people celebrate Lucia . People arrange processions with a Luci...
Dette passer vel ikke helt inn ettersom det er midtsommer nå, men jeg er så glad i Lucia-kortene mine! Det er ikke så veldig mange av dem, ikke som jeg har funnet i alle fall og det er vel ganske naturlig at de fleste er av svenske kunstnere. Lucia-tradisjonen er jo mye sterkere hos Søta bror enn her hos oss. Først to kort av Aina Stenberg: Jeg liker hennes "strek" og har flere andre små-kort fra henne også. Så en blid Lucia med et kor av stjerne-gutter og -jenter fra Astrid Østerlings hånd: Carl Larsson har også vært innom Lucia-temaet: med kortet Lucia: Elsa Beskow har mange aldeles nydelige kort, men så langt har jeg bare funnet dette med Lucia-motiv, det heter Stjärngossarna og er kort nr. 10 i en serie med Elsa Beskow-kort: Erik Forsman har tegnet dette kortet av Staffan, egentlig har ikke Staffan noe med Lucia-feiringen å gjøre, men er en langt eldre figur. Han ble stenet i år 35 e.kr. og er den eldste kristne martyr. Men i Sverige synges gjerne sangen om Staffan stalledreng av Lucia-ternene så derfor tar jeg med dette kortet også. Erkers Marie Persson har også tegnet flere Lucia-kort og dette fikk også Heidi L tak i til meg. Det er poststemplet i Sverige i 1990 og portoen er 2,30 svenske kroner. Nr. 120. Dette er også Erkers Marie Persson og jeg synes motivet er så fint, hestegal som jeg er: Selvfølgelig har også Jenny Nyström tegnet Lucia: Jenny Nyström er regnet som "tomternas mamma" i Sverige og her har hun tegnet en tomte som bærer på en liten Lucia: Også Maj Fagerberg har kombinert nissen og Lucia på et av sine kort, Luciauppvakning: Denne rariteten er det eneste fotografiske postkortet jeg har med Lucia-motiv og det har jeg fått i gave av Heidi L og ble veldig, veldig glad for det! Kortet er nok ganske gammelt og bildet er tydeligvis tatt på Skansen i Sverige etter teksten på kortet å dømme, Skansen Lucia står det. Om det er noen som samler på Lucia-kort eller har noen for salg så ta gjerne kontakt! [email protected]
The tradition of celebrating St. Lucy’s Day, ‘Luciadagen’, on December 13th is still very strong in Scandinavia. Typically we bake special buns made with saffron called ‘Lus…
This week we are celebrating St. Lucia's day (Dec. 13th) with our preschoolers. One of our students Grandmother is visiting tomorrow to sh...
Normally, I simply put up my favorite recipes with a snippet of why it’s my favorite.. Today, I am gonna do something differently! I am deep in the trenches of Christmas time with my baking. …
Dunkelheit liegt so schwer, auf allem Leben. Sonne die scheint nicht mehr. Nachtschatten schweben. Durch dunkle Stub´und Stall schreitet im Lichterstrahl. Sancta Lucia, Sancta Lucia. Nacht war so groß und stumm, nun hört ein Brausen ums stille Haus herum wie Flügelrauschen. Seht dort, wie wunderbar, kommt her mit Licht und Haar Sancta Lucia, Sancta, Lucia. Bald flieht die Dunkelheit aus dieser Welt. Bald steigt dieser Tag erneut, vom Himmelszelt. Welch wunderbarer Geist, der uns dies Licht verheißt: Sancta Lucia, Sancta Lucia. Alte Volksweise Heute, am 13. Dezember feiern wir das Luciafest, das schwedische Lichterfest. Wie das Mittsommerfest hat Lucia mit dem Stand der Sonne und der Länge des Tages zu tun. Hat am Midsommar-Tag die Sonne ihren höchsten Punkt erreicht und scheint somit am längsten, ist am 13. Dezember dem Lucia-Fest der kürzeste Tag des Jahres. Heutzutage ist zwar die Nacht vom 21. auf den 22. Dezember der kürzeste Tag des Jahres, also die Wintersonnenwende. Aber das war nicht immer so, denn bis in das Jahr 1699 war der 13. Dezember im Julianischen Kalender der kürzeste Tag des Jahres. Erst mit der Gregorianischen Kalenderreform fiel die Wintersonnenwende auf den 21. Dezember. Das Luciafest war ursprünglich der Heiligen Lucia aus Syracusa geweiht. Der Name Lucia kommt vom lateinischen "lux" und bedeutet "Licht". Lucia ist die Lichtträgerin, die Lichtbringerin, im Mittelalter die Hoffnung der Blinden und Augenkranken. Lucia hat - der Sage - nach, die unter der Verfolgung in die Katakomben geflohenen Christen mit einem Kerzenkranz auf dem Kopf mit Nahrung versorgt. Dies tat sie, damit sie die Hände in der Dunkelheit frei hatte. Traditionell bringt ein weißgekleidetes Mädchen, das einen Lichterkranz mit brennenden Kerzen auf dem Kopf trägt, der Familie das Frühstück ans Bett. Meist ist es die älteste Tochter der Familie. Ihr weißes Gewand wird in der Taille mit einem roten Band zusammengehalten. Wir werden heute Abend die Geschichte der Heiligen Lucia lesen und dabei "Lussekatter" verspeisen. Von brennenden Kerzen auf dem Kopf mag meine Große nichts wissen... Marjan van Zeyl
St. Lucy feast day is coming up on December 13th! In this post, I will discuss a little bit about St. Lucy, her feast day and then go into some specifics.
