St. Lucia Day
St. Lucia Day is a holiday that is held on December 13 in several countries in Europe. Those countries include Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. The holiday is in honor of Saint 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-flavoured buns (lussekatter) shaped like curled-up cats and with raisin eyes. People eat them with glögg or coffee.
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Media related to Saint Lucy's Day at Wikimedia Commons