I am so thankful for the tradition my wonderful wife has brought to my life. Today is one of the biggest. While my wife Inger and Daughter Anika celebrated this day in Sweden I reflect on all the years my daughters sang to me. You ask why Lucia…. Around Christmas time in Sweden, one of the biggest celebrations is St. Lucia’s Day (or St. Lucy’s Day) on December 13th. The celebration comes from stories that were told by Monks who first brought Christianity to Sweden.
St Lucia was a young Christian girl who was martyred, killed for her faith, in 304AD. The most common story told about St Lucia is that she would secretly bring food to the persecuted Christians in Rome, who lived in hiding in the catacombs under the city. She would wear candles on her head so she had both her hands free to carry things. Lucy means ‘light’ so this is a very appropriate name.
Enjoy this rendition of Santa Lucia today…..
