Lucia in Sweden

Next week we have a tradition in Sweden called Lucia.

Lucia is a holiday celebrated on December 13 and the name of the feast protagonist. In Sweden, Christmas celebration starts with Lucia Day and with Advent. The Swedish Lucia is a mixture of both pre-Christian and Christian figures and a saint in the Roman Catholic Church originating from Sicily. The word Lucia comes from the Latin lux, meaning light. The tradition of Lucia procession originated in Sweden in the late 1800s.

Lucia procession has always a Lucia, wearing a long, white dress with a chandelier on her head and a red ribbon on the belly. Lucia followed by the "tärnor", in identical white long dress that Lucia but with glitter in their hair and on the waist and a candle in her hand. After them, sometimes follow "stjärngossar" who are dressed in white dresses and with a "starcone" on his head covered with stars and a star-decorated stick in hand. When Lucia procession consist of children they often even includes Santa Claus and boys/girls dressed as gingerbread. Lucia procession performance Lucia songs, carols and verse reading.