The Festival of St. Lucia, which is traditionally celebrated on December 13, begins the Christmas season in Swedish custom.
The so-called Festival of Lights stems from the fourth-century martyrdom of an Italian saint and an incident that followed. According to Swedish legend, a ship carrying a maiden "clothed in white and crowned with light" appeared on the shore in Värmland during a great famine. The maiden, widely believed to be Lucia, distributed food and clothing to the needy, thus endearing herself to the Swedish people.
Source Gustavus college
No comments:
Post a Comment