December 13, Lucia

Today we on Sweden celebrate Lucia, Lucia on 13 December is a major Swedish tradition. Girls and boys in white gowns sing to celebrate the mythical Saint Lucia,

If visiting Sweden in time to catch a Lucia celebration, you’ll be able to experience these at various places, such as churches, town halls and even restaurants (as well as on TV and radio). According to tradition, Lucia appears before dawn, but for practical reasons many events are held at dusk. Don’t be surprised if the Swede next to you joins in with the choir – most Swedes know the main Lucia song, “Sankta Lucia”, off by heart.

Leading the procession, Lucia is trailed by handmaidens (‘tärnor’), star boys (‘stjärngossar’) and gingerbread men (‘pepparkaksgubbar’). If children are participating in the procession, they may choose to be dressed as Christmas elves (‘tomtenissar’). As for each individual group’s attire, Lucia’s defining feature is the lit-up wreath on the top of her head. Traditionally, real candles were used, but for safety reasons they’ve been replaced by battery-powered ones – and the same goes for those carried by the handmaidens, who typically wear glitter or a wreath (without candles) in their hair and glitter or a decorative red ribbon around the waist. Star boys wear all-white – just like Lucia and the handmaidens – with cone-like hats and star-adorned sticks.

Alongside Midsummer, the Lucia celebrations represent one of the foremost cultural traditions in Sweden, with their clear reference to life in the peasant communities of old: darkness and light, cold and warmth.