Saint Lucy's Day definition of Saint Lucy's Day in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

St. Lucy's Day

December 13

According to tradition, St. Lucy, or Santa Lucia, was born in Syracuse, Sicily, in the third or fourth century. She was endowed with a fatal beauty that eventually attracted the unwanted attentions of a pagan nobleman, to whom she was betrothed against her will. She is the patron saint of the blind because in an attempt to end the affair, she supposedly cut out her eyes, which her suitor claimed "haunted him day and night." But God restored her eyes as a reward for her sacrifice. She was then probably killed by a sword thrust through her throat. Because of this she is the patron saint for protection from throat infections.
St. Lucy allegedly blinded herself on the shortest, darkest day of the year ( see Winter Solstice), and she later became a symbol of the preciousness of light. Her day is widely celebrated in Sweden as Luciadagen, which marks the official beginning of the Christmas season. Lucy means "light," and to the sun-starved inhabitants of Scandinavia, she often appears in a shining white robe crowned by a radiant halo.
It is traditional to observe Luciadagen by dressing the oldest daughter in the family in a white robe tied with a crimson sash. Candles are set into her crown, which is covered with lingonberry leaves. The younger girls are also dressed in white and given haloes of glittering tinsel. The boys—called Starngossar, or Star Boys—wear white robes and tall cone-shaped hats, made of silver paper, and carry star-topped scepters.
The "Lucia Bride" with her crown of burning candles, followed by the Star Boys, younger girls, and dancing children, called tomten, or "gnomes," wakens each member of the household on the morning of December 13 with a tray of coffee and special saffron buns or ginger cookies.
Although this is a family celebration, the Lucia tradition nowadays is observed in schools, offices, and hotels as well. Specially chosen Lucias and their attendants visit hospitals to cheer up the sick and elderly. The largest public celebration in Sweden takes place in Stockholm, where hundreds of girls compete for the title of "Stockholm Lucia."
From Sweden the Lucy celebrations spread to Finland, Norway, and Denmark. Swedish immigrants brought St. Lucy's Day to the United States, and the Swedish customs survive in Swedish-American communities throughout the country.
In Rockford, Illinois, for example, the St. Lucy's Day program is staged by the Swedish Historical Society at the Erlander Home Museum. The young woman chosen as Lucia on this day has to meet certain criteria, such as participation in Swedish classes, contributions to Swedish culture, or membership in one of Rockford's many Swedish societies.
At Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, freshmen in the women's dormitories traditionally are awakened at three o'clock in the morning by a white-clad Lucia bearing coffee and baked goods. St. Lucy's Day is also observed by Swedish Americans in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Seattle, Chicago, and San Diego.

CONTACTS:
Skansen Museum
P.O. Box 27807
Stockholm, S-11593 Sweden
46-8-442-8000
Erlander Home Museum
404 S. Third St.
Rockford, IL 61104
815-963-5559
www.swedishhistorical.org

SOURCES:
BkDays-1864, vol. II, p. 687
BkFest-1937, pp. 191, 312
BkFestHolWrld-1970, pp. 132, 133
DaysCustFaith-1957, p. 313
EncyChristmas-2003, p. 668
FestWestEur-1958, pp. 101, 217
FolkAmerHol-1999, p. 494
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 699
GdWrldFest-1985, p. 166
OxYear-1999, p. 497
RelHolCal-2004, p. 85
SaintFestCh-1904, p. 20

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St. Lucy's Day (redirected from Saint Lucy's Day)

St. Lucy's Day
(redirected from Saint Lucy's Day)