Holiday of light

[Svenskaflicka]

Today it's the 13th of December. Here in Sweden, it's Lucia Day. Being slaves under darkness for months and months of the year, we have this Holiday today, to celebrate the light.

All over Sweden today, women have dressed in white robes and worn leafcrowns with candles in them, and paraded in the streets, singing Lucia songs.

So why am I telling you this? To spread the knowledge about the holiday customs of my country. AND, to explain why my picture suddenly looks different. I'm Lucia.

I'll change it back tomorrow, so enjoy it while you can!


And now, unless you want to spoil me with compliments about how nice I look in my crown, we can just let this thread sink to the bottom.

 

[Quasimodem]

So THAT's what it is!

I thought that was to celebrate "St. Phffft's Festival of Singed Hair".

 

[Svenskaflicka]

So THAT's what it is!

I thought that was to celebrate "St. Phffft's Festival of Singed Hair".

Bjä, bjä, bjä...

 

[Chicklet]

sounds like a nifty sort of holiday = )

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Just about everyone in the Northern hemisphere has some sort of festival of light around this time of the year, since the sun is reborn on the solstice.

But just who was St Lucia? And what else do you do to celebrate?

---dr.M.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

There are different stories about Lucia.

The traditional is that she was a rich Sicilian girl, who became a christian after her mother's death. She broke her engagement with a Roman officer, and gave away all her belongings and fortune to the poor. The scorn lover thought that she was possessed or crazy, or atleast some kind of witch, and he told the Roman emperor, who ordered to have Lucia executed.

They tied her up and let two oxen drag her away from her home, but then the first miracle happened - the oxen couldn't move her! She was like rooted to the ground!
Then they put branches around her and tried to burn her alive, but then the second miracle happened - the flames wouldn't touch her!
By then, the ex was so furious, that he took his sword and cut Lucia's head off.

And now she died. And became a christian marture. And Sweden, which used to be catholic, celebrated her as one of the saints. In the beginning of the last century, the newspapers decided to make a big deal out of the Lucia celebrations, and so they started these type of pageant contests, so every town could choose its own Lucia.

Another legend about Lucia, much less known, but to me, more exciting, is that Lucia was no saint at all, but the bride of Lucifer, the fallen Light Angel, and that's why she's the queen of light.

Whatever the case, Lucia is a solstice celebration thingy, and very popular. My hubby loves it - he calls me his own little queen of light. I love him.