Lighten Up, It’s St. Lucy’s Day!

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Have you had your coffee and danish delivered by a young girl wearing a wreath with candles on her head yet? If so, we bid you a Happy St. Lucy’s Day!

St. Lucy’s Day is a tradition held during the Christmas season in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries. Like most holiday traditions and legends, the story of St. Lucy is deeply symbolic; most notably, the theme of “light.” In fact, her name roughly translates to “light” in Latin.

Like a lot of the early Christian martyrs, not much is known about Lucy except that she was born during the late third century in Italy and she died for her faith. She is one of the early Christian martyrs and was venerated very early in the Church. By the Middle Ages, however, her legend evolved and grew.St. Lucy

According to legend, Lucy was betrothed to a pagan but rejected him in order to devote herself to Christ. She pledged to remain a virgin and gave away her dowry to a poor Christian family. So, her rejected fiance outed her as a Christian. First, she was condemned to be a prostitute, but when guards tried to take her there, miraculously they physically couldn’t move her. So, they piled wood around her to burn her but she was untouched by the flames. Finally, she was fatally stabbed in the throat.

Lucy is often portrayed holding her eyes in a dish or a cup. There are two popular accounts of Lucy having her eyes gouged. In one story, her persecutors gouged out her eyes before she was martyred. In another story, Lucy, in order to retain her virginity, gouged out her own eyes and sent them to her betrothed, who had admired her eyes. That’s why she is the patron saint of the blind.

Interestingly, the legend of St. Lucy is extremely popular in Scandinavia thanks to Vikings-turned-Christians, who brought her story to their native land. St. Lucy’s December 13 feast day coincides with the celebration of the winter solstice and, since there is such little daylight at that time, Lucy’s association with “light” is a great reason to celebrate.

The Martyrdom of St. Lucy

Today, St. Lucy’s Day is a popular Christmastime holiday that is also celebrated in Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Italy, and several eastern European nations.

St. Lucy Doll
A St. Lucy Doll
On this day, either the oldest or youngest girl in the home wakes up early and makes breakfast for her family, including pastries known as Lucy buns (recipes vary). She dresses in a white gown with a red sash and a wreath with candles on her head. This tradition celebrates the legend that Lucy put candles on her head in order to carry food in both hands, which she brought to Christians hiding in the dark underground catacombs, although some say the candles symbolize that Lucy was condemned to be burned. Later in the day, towns will hold a public procession. In some countries, girls in white gowns carry single candles. In Switzerland, St. Lucy accompanies Father Christmas through the streets and gives out candy.

At a time when daylight is precious and winter can seem dark and depressing, St. Lucy’s Day is a particularly joyous occasion. Just don’t light your hair on fire in the revelry.