St. Lucia Day

Overview
The holiday is in honor of Saint Lucy, or St. Lucy. On this day, young girls – mostly the oldest daughter of the house – dress like Saint Lucia in a white robe and a crown of candles. There are parades, pageants, and the girl playing Lucia serves cakes. They also sing special songs. Here is one of the songs:
The night treads heavily
around yards and dwellings
In places unreached by sun,
the shadows brood

Into our dark house, she comes,
bearing lighted candles,
Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia.
The Lucia celebrations also include ginger snaps and sweet, saffron-flavored buns (lussekatter) shaped like curled-up cats and with raisin eyes. People eat them with glögg or coffee.

Related pages
 Saint
 Christmas
 Christianity
 Scandinavia
 Canonization

Category:December observances