Advent Tide in Sweden II: Celebrating a saint from Syracuse in Sweden

Lucia with entourage; maids and Star Boys in a typical village church in Sweden

Lucia is one of the marvels of Swedish Advent tide. She is not celebrated as we do anywhere else, except in Finland. The 13th of December all schools, offices, work shops, hospitals and Day Care centres are filled with candles and singing children, youngsters and grown ups. The smaller the singers are, the more of them carry a special crown ornated with electric candles, a Lucia-crown, made in Sweden-where else? 

The required equipement for a family with children has to be arranged the 12th of December, in the early morning the children will get dressed for the Lucia procession at the day care centre, at church or at school

In order to commemorate a teenage girl from Syracuse in Sicily, who was decapitated during the severe persecution of Christians under the Roman emperor Diocletian, all Swedes get up early, eat an extra- everything breakfast and listen to minor and bigger groups of singers of a very varied capacity.

A choir performing a traditional Lucia procession and ceremony; with Advent, Christmas and Lucia carols.

How come? Swedes became hardcore Lutherans as early as the 16th century, so why Catholic processions for a martyr saint from Italy? 

The explanation is as complicated as it always is with most traditions. The first, and only evidence of a real Catholic cult regarding St. Lucia before the reformation is found in the diocese of Skara in the South- West of Sweden. In the rest of the Sweden -to-be Lucia seemed to be rather unknown as a person ,but her day was a remarkable day in the calendar since it, during the days of the Julian calendar , used to be the longest night of the year. All people residing in this dark Kingdom on the verge of the Arctics were afraid of darkness. They also were permanently half-starving so the long night of Lucia was a night to endure with eating, drinking and lighting fires and candles. 

Lucia celebrated in her home town of Syracuse, Sicily

Some tales told about that night, told about "Lusse" as a kind of dangerous troll, others talked about Lucia as a saint very much like St. Nicholas, coming on a ship or ice yacht loaded with sausages,  beef, ham and rice porridge to the poor and starving on the shores of seas, rivers and lakes in this country where water abunds.

Lussebullar

During the 18th century a new cult of Lucia was noticed in diaries, letters and descriptions of folklore in the south west of Sweden. This was a custom for the upperclasses and manors. One of the daughters in the manor dressed up like a Christkindlein in a white gown and a crown of candles because she carried a tray with coffee and special Lucia-pastry; ginger bread and buns spiced with saffron for all the guests and people of the manor.

She sang songs like " Good morning gentlefolks, here comes the Lucia bride. She comes to you with great honour. Lucia wants to entertain you for a while if she finds you in good health this early morning. Wake up now, gentlefolks, and eat and have a good time, if you do the heart of Lucia rejoices, she wishes you all a merry Christmas, and may God protect you all from all evil".

1901 the first Lucia-celebrations outside the diocese of Skara was recorded, it was at Skansen, the big open-air museum in the centre of Stockholm. The traditon spread in Stockholm and the church started to show interest in the Catholic Saint from Italy. First in the Christian Scout movement and soon also in the vigorous choir movement in the Church of Sweden, Lucia was introduced with processions and singng in honour of Lucia, but also as an equivalent to the British Carol tradition before and around Christmas. Then songs from the old St, Stephen tradition emerged into the Lucia-tradition and the riding boys who sang about the star from Bethlehem started to appear in the Lucia-procession before Christmas in stead of the 26th of December.

Star boys from the St. Stephen celebrations now appear with Lucia and they bring their St. Stephen songs with them

In 1927 the first beauty contest was held in Stockholm, it was a contest to become the Swedish Lucia of the year. This contest made Lucia popular all over Sweden in all social groups.

This year, 2011,  the contestants raised funds for "Children of the World Foundation", children in need, and the candidate who raised most money also became the Lucia-but she was also extremely pretty. She comes from the mining fields in the very north of Sweden where I also come from so she almost feels like kin=) The international saint proves to be  even more so this year, since the Lucia of the year comes from  a remote part of Northern Lapland, where Lucia never has been known as anything else than the Christian martyr from Southern Italy. The Lucia of 2011 is furthermore of Iranian/Swedish ancestry.

Aida Lindquist from my neighbouring town in Lapland, the Lucia of Sweden 2011

The Lucia of the year goes to Syracuse each year to participate in the very different processions in commemoration of St. Lucia held there .They also run their own show so the baffled Sicilians get a hint of how we remember their teenage saint in the far north. Thus the circle is completed and a tradition that started in the early middle ages as a cult of the martyr girl who then became a pagan troll in the dark woods of Sweden ended when St. Lucia was re-introduced to the Church and became her real cosmopolitan self again in the early 20th century.

Dorothea is extremely proud of this beautiful Swedish tradition!

Swedish Public Service TV always has their own official Lucia procession, you can watch this years procession here. The special Luica-song is an Italian song from Naples. The Swedish lyrics talks about the girl who brings light and a hint of what Christmas will be like, she is seen as prophesizing Christmas and the return of the sun in this song.

Here one of hundreds of songs from the mediaeval St. Stephen celebrations which now appear in Lucia processions: