Lucia is a beautiful day of singing and lighting candles. Lucia lived in Sicily in about 500 AD and died as a martyr. The story goes, she had her eyes bashed out with rocks then was stabbed so the red sash around her waist represents the blood. How she got to Sweden, I don’t know, but now she is a symbol of bringing light in Sweden’s darkest month in the form of the candles in her crown and in the hands of her accompanying choir. Every town and city has their own Lucia chosen by nomination and vote and it is every little Swedish girl’s dream to be the Lucia, so you can imagine how honoured I felt when the school told me I would be their Lucia!
************Friday December 11th, I was at school at 7:45am getting ready for my fist of 5 ceremonies that day. I wore a long white gown with a red sash around my middle and a crown of 7 candles on my head. My choir also had white gowns but with silver tinsel around their waist and a candle in their hand. They sang many songs, I recited a poem and then led the singing procession out of the auditorium. It was all very lovely except for the hot wax that dripped on to my face and into my hair. It took all day, as each of the ceremonies took an hour, but it was well worth it because it was so exciting being in the center of a Swedish tradition and really feeling a part of it!! Really a once in a life time experience!!
Lucia is a beautiful day of singing and lighting candles. Lucia lived in Sicily in about 500 AD and died as a martyr. The story goes, she had her eyes bashed out with rocks then was stabbed so the red sash around her waist represents the blood. How she got to Sweden, I don’t know, but now she is a symbol of bringing light in Sweden’s darkest month in the form of the candles in her crown and in the hands of her accompanying choir. Every town and city has their own Lucia chosen by nomination and vote and it is every little Swedish girl’s dream to be the Lucia, so you can imagine how honoured I felt when the school told me I would be their Lucia!
************Friday December 11th, I was at school at 7:45am getting ready for my fist of 5 ceremonies that day. I wore a long white gown with a red sash around my middle and a crown of 7 candles on my head. My choir also had white gowns but with silver tinsel around their waist and a candle in their hand. They sang many songs, I recited a poem and then led the singing procession out of the auditorium. It was all very lovely except for the hot wax that dripped on to my face and into my hair. It took all day, as each of the ceremonies took an hour, but it was well worth it because it was so exciting being in the center of a Swedish tradition and really feeling a part of it!! Really a once in a life time experience!!
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