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Happy Winter Holiday!
Dec. 22nd, 2019 07:03 pmSince I haven't written much lately, here's some information on Lucia Day.
One of Swedens 'religious' traditions is Saint Lucia's day. Saint Lucia shouldn't technically still be celebrated, because Sweden is Lutheran (Protestant), and has been since the 1500's thanks to Gustav Vasa*. However, Sweden has always been a large country, with few cities and many open spaces. The peasants can often do whatever they damn well like, with only the law of Jante to keep them in line. The longest night of the year, according to the Julian Kalender, was the 13th of December, Saint Lucia's day. It was known as 'Little Christmas Eve' and reason to feast (Some reports tell of three breakfasts, which sounds like Hobbit-Style-Overkill), but also a night when supernatural forces were at work. The 'Lucia Bride' was originally a festive joke, either a person dressed in straw or a doll made of straw.
During the latter part of the 19th century, it turned into today's tradition: One young woman with long fair hair (Or a man if no women were present) wearing a crown of lingonberries and lit candles carries a tray of Saffron buns and coffee, to hand out to the audience. She is followed by a train of maids, starboys, and in the 21st century, gingerbread people and gnomes in santa costumes('Gnome' and 'Santa' are both referred to as 'Tomte' in Swedish, causing overlap). Everyone, save the 21st century inventions, wear long, white, flowing nightgowns. They sing Christmas songs, which range from religious (Silent Night, Nu Tändas Tusen Juleljus) to not at all (Tänd Ett Hus, Jag Såg Mamma Kyssa Tomten). The Starboys have their own song, 'Staffan Var En Stalledräng'.
Traditionally, Lucia was supposed to have long, fair hair, and tended to be voted from a group of young women. This changed over the course of the late 20th century, and a dark-haired Lucia is now acceptable.
