St. Lucia´s Day

pic by Bengt Nyman from Flickr

The 13th of December is official St. Lucia's Day and it is filled with traditions. And because my daughter is called Lucia, I simply have to share with you, what I know. :)

St. Lucia's Day is a Christian tradition which is celebrated mostly in Scandinavian countries and in Italy (funny combination, right? :) ).
According to Wikipedia, it originates in the legend in which Saint Lucy (in Swedish Sankta Lucia) brought food and aid to Christians hiding in the catacombs using a candle-lit wreath to light her way and leave her hands free to carry as much food as possible. 

She is portrayed as a young woman in a white dress and red sash with a crown or wreath of candles on her head. In Norway, Sweden and Swedish-speaking regions of Finland, as songs are sung, girls dressed as Saint Lucy carry cookies and saffron buns in procession, which symbolizes bringing the light of Christianity throughout world darkness. 

The Finnish celebrations have been historically tied to Swedish culture and the Swedish-speaking Finns. 
The first records of St. Lucy celebrations in Finland are from 1898, and the first large celebrations came in 1930, a couple of years after the popularization of the celebrations in Sweden. 
The St. Lucy of Finland has been elected since 1949 and she is crowned in the Helsinki Cathedral. Local St. Lucies are elected in almost every place where there is a Swedish populace in Finland. The Finnish-speaking population has also lately begun to embrace the celebrations.

St. Lucia in Tuusula library

According to Britannica (and my own experience :) ) the festival usually begins with a procession led by the St. Lucia, who is followed by young girls dressed in white and wearing lighted wreaths on their heads and boys dressed in white pajama-like costume singing traditional songs. The festival marks the beginning of the Christmas season in Scandinavia, and it is meant to bring hope and light during the darkest time of the year.

Last year I have seen the main ceremony in Helsinki, and this year I have witnessed a small ceremony in our local library. It is a very special thing to be part of and if you are in Scandiavia on the 13th December I definitely recommend to see it.