Sweden is a historically Lutheran country, but the Swedes favor a celebration surrounding a saint straight out of Roman Catholicism. According to Maypoles, Crayfish and Lucia by Jan-Ojvind Swahn, Saint Lucia is "the only festival that can be termed typically and uniquely Swedish." Celebrated on December 13th, it is Sweden's very own festival of lights, despite the fact that the holiday's namesake was Italian.
Lucia's Origins
Many people attribute the Swedish light festival to the Italian saint of Catholic tradition. Lucia or Lucy's name is a derivative of the Latin lux or light. She is said to have been martyred during the Great Persecution of Christians, which began in AD 303 under Diocletian. Sources disagree as to whether Lucia was celebrated earlier or later in Swedish history, but December 13th was traditionally the winter solstice based on the Julian Calendar (which changed to the Gregorian calendar in the 1300s, placing the winter solstice on December 21st.) In any case, the tradition spread gradually throughout the country, and Stockholm didn't observe Lucia Day "officially" until the 1920s.
Lucia Celebrated Yesterday & Today
Today, Saint Lucia is represented by a girl wearing a white dress tied with a red sash and a lingonberry wreath of candles on her head. Originally, the white dress and candled wreath was a costume worn to depict the coming of the Christ child in Sweden, but over time it came to be associated with Saint Lucy instead. Swedish communities still hold Lucia competitions today, in which girls are chosen to portray Lucia in parades or other events.
The Lucia Ritual
When celebrated in the family context, mothers or older siblings rise early the morning of December 13th. They prepare a breakfast of coffee or mulled wine and saffron buns sometimes called "Lucia cats" (lussekatter). A daughter (some sources say the youngest, while others say the oldest) wakes her father and any still-sleeping members of the household by singing the traditional Sankta Lucia song and delivering the breakfast tray.
Saffron Buns or "Lucia Cats"
Saint Lucia buns are subtly flavored and brightly colored due to saffron, a spice appreciated in Swedish kitchens today. The dough has just a hint of sweetness thanks to a few raisins garnishing the rolls of the "Lucia cat". Its shape is formed bring rolling an elongated piece of dough up at both ends. A delicious recipe for Saint Lucia buns can be found here.
A country situated partially within the Arctic Circle, Sweden experiences especially long nights during the cold winter months. The familial traditions of St. Lucia continue today, cheering homes with a reminder of warmth and light during a dark December.
Sources
Santa Lucia: Canada's First Saint's Day Celebration? http://www.asna.ca/resources/st-lucia-learn.pdf Originally published in Orthodox Canada, A Journal of Orthodox Christianity, copyright 2008.
Swahn, Jan-Ojvind. Maypoles, Crayfish and Lucia: Swedish Holidays and Traditions. The Swedish Institute. Stockholm, 1999.
Katelyn Aronson - A Southern-California native, Katelyn relocated to the South of France four years ago, where she currently teaches English to students and ...
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