Lucia and her maidens performing at Hasselbacken.
Sunday was Lucia day and this is another of those Swedish traditions that I get a kick out of. While this is not a holiday, it is a big cause for celebration. The basic tradition says that under the old calendar, the 13th was the longest night of the year and that Santa Lucia brings light to the dark. Every year, a new Lucia is elected. Voting is done in the newspapers for the main Lucia here in Stockholm and each of the candidates is described on a different day in the newspaper. And of course, each school will have their own Lucia.
Lucia with a julbord or Christmas buffet in front of her. Notice the pig's head in the foreground.
On the 13th, Lucia makes her appearance wearing a white gown with a red sash around her waist. And she tops off her ensemble with a crown of candles on her head. Depending on the place, the candles are either real or battery operated. (Somehow, I don’t think any schoolgirl in the US would be allowed to wear real candles at a school assembly!) Lucia then walks with her court of girls carrying candles and boys wearing star bedecked hats, all singing the Santa Lucia song. If the concert is indoors, the lights are dimmed for the singing by candlelight and the effect is quite pretty. This year, we went to the concert at Skansen and along with her procession, Lucia was joined by some horsemen.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Swedish holiday without some kind of special food and drink. The lussekatt or Lucia bun is what you must eat to celebrate. We were at our local coffee shop and hey had fresh-baked lussekatter which we had to sample. Warm from the oven, they were actually pretty tasty, I have to say. And later in the day at Skansen, we also had to have some of the ubiquitous glögg.
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