Back Luciafees Afrikaans يوم القديسة لوسي Arabic Дзень святой Люсіі Byelorussian Lusia Breton Svátek svaté Lucie Czech Luciadag Danish Luciafest German Luutsinapäev Estonian Santa Luzia eguna Basque روز سنت لوسی Persian
| Saint Lucy's Day | |
|---|---|
 Celebration of Saint Lucy's Day in a Church of Sweden congregation in December 2006 | |
| Observed by | Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans among others |
| Liturgical color | Red |
| Type | Christian |
| Date | 13 December |
| Next time | 13 December 2024 |
| Frequency | Annual |
Saint Lucy's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Lucy, is a Christian feast day observed on 13 December. The observance commemorates Lucia of Syracuse, an early-fourth-century virgin martyr under the Diocletianic Persecution.[1] According to legend, she brought food and aid to Christians hiding in the Roman catacombs, wearing a candle-lit wreath on her head to light her way, leaving both hands free to carry as much food as possible.[2][3] Because her name means "light" and her feast day had at one time coincided with the shortest day of the year prior to calendar reforms, it is now widely celebrated as a festival of light.[4][5] Falling within the Advent season, Saint Lucy's Day is viewed as a precursor of Christmastide, pointing to the arrival of the Light of Christ in the calendar on 25 December, Christmas Day.[1][6]
Saint Lucy's Day is celebrated most widely in Scandinavia, Italy and the island nation of Saint Lucia, each emphasising a different aspect of her story.[2] In Scandinavia, where Lucy is called Santa/Sankta Lucia, she is represented as a woman in a white dress symbolizing a baptismal robe and a red sash symbolizing the blood of her martyrdom, with a crown or wreath of candles on her head.[7]
In Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Swedish-speaking regions of Finland, as songs are sung, girls dressed as Saint Lucy carry cookies and saffron buns in procession, which symbolizes bringing the Light of Christ into the world's darkness.[7][8] In both Catholic and Protestant churches, boys participate in the procession as well, playing different roles associated with Christmastide, such as that of Saint Stephen or generic gingerbread men, Santa Clauses, or nisses. The celebration of Saint Lucy's Day is said to help one live the winter days with enough light.[7]
A special devotion to Saint Lucy is practised in the Italian regions of Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige, in the north of the country, and Sicily, in the south, as well as in the Croatian coastal region of Dalmatia. In Hungary and Croatia, a popular tradition on Saint Lucy's Day involves planting wheat grains that grow to be several centimetres tall by Christmas Day, representing the Nativity of Jesus.[6]
Saint Lucy's Day is one of the Ember Days.
- ^ a b Hynes, Mary Ellen; Mazar, Peter (1993). Companion to the Calendar. Liturgy Training Publications. p. 186. ISBN 978-156854011-5. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
Lucy's name means light. Coming midway through Advent, her feast day guides our hope towards the coming of Christ in our Light. Lucy was a young woman of Syracuse in Sicily (an island off the southern coast of Italy). We know she died a martyr during the persecutions by the Roman emperor Diocletian.
- ^ a b Barnhill, Carla. "St. Lucy's Day", Christian History, issue 103
- ^ [1]Santa Lucia Day at the Wayback Machine (archived 2015-09-30)
- ^ "St. Lucy". St. Lucy's Church, Scranton, Pennsylvania. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
- ^ Crump, William D. (2006). The Christmas Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-2293-7.
Prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in the sixteenth century, St. Lucy's Day fell on the winter solstice, which poses a factor in her association with light, and her day Christianized a day formerly associated with the pagan Germanic goddess Berchta ...
- ^ a b Hanson, Joelle (13 December 2012). "Santa Lucia Day traditions". ELCA. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
The tradition of planting wheat on St. Lucy's Day comes from Hungary, Croatia and other European nations. Plant wheat grains in a round dish or plate of soil, then water the seeds. Place the container in a warm spot. If the planting medium is kept moist (not sopping wet), the seeds will germinate and the shoots will be several inches high by Christmas. Then the new green shoots, reminding us of the new life born in Bethlehem, may be tied with a ribbon, if desired, and a candle may be placed near them as a symbol of the Light of Christ.
- ^ a b c Numico, Sarah (12 December 2015). "Nordic Europe relies on Saint Lucy, symbol of light in winter, when darkness prevails". SIR.
The white gown is a reminder that Lucy died as a virgin, and it recalls the white robes of the baptized; the red sash represents the blood of her martyrdom. The procession symbolizes bringing the light of Christianity throughout the world's darkness. This aspect is especially highlighted in the Finnish celebration: in Helsinki, for example, on Sunday Lucy will be crowned in the Lutheran cathedral to later come out of the church with her procession to bring light to the city centre. ... Concerts resound in all major churches, Protestant and Catholic alike. It is said that the best choirs perform in Stockholm and Linköping, and while in the past they were female choirs, today also male singers are admitted, and young men dressed in white also take part in the procession accompanying Lucy, that continues being represented by a young girl.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Bommer, Paul (2010). "December 13 St. Lucy's Day". St. Nicholas Center. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
This timing, and her name meaning light, is a factor in the particular devotion to St. Lucy in Scandinavian countries, where young girls dress as the saint in honor of the feast. Traditionally the oldest daughter of any household will dress up in a white robe with a red sash and a wreath of evergreens and 12 lighted candles upon her head. Assisted by any siblings she may have, she then serves coffee and a special St Lucia bun (a Lussekatt in Norwegian) to her parents and family. The Lussekatter or Lusseboller are spiced buns flavoured with saffron and other spices and traditionally presented in the form shown in the image, an inverted S with two raisins a-top (perhaps representing St Lucy's plucked out eyes!?).