24 Days of Making, Doing, and Being: December 13

Glad Lucia

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Glad Lucia!

Today is Luciadagen, Saint Lucia Day. Celebrated throughout Sweden, and in Swedish communities around the world, it is a day that honors the light.

Here is the first verse (and rough English translation) of one of the traditional songs sung in Sweden to mark the celebration.

Natten går tunga fjät rund gård och stuva;
kring jord, som sol förlät,
skuggorna ruva.
Då i vårt mörka hus,
stiger med tända ljus,
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.

//

The night treads heavily
around yards and dwellings
In places unreached by sun,
the shadows brood
Into our dark house she comes,
bearing lighted candles,
Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia.

For me Lucia day always feels like a bit of a mini winter solstice. A welcoming and celebration of light. In fact, Luciadagen originally aligned with the winter solstice, but because of a shift from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, it now takes place about a week before. That makes it not just a celebration of light in the darkness, but also a bit of a marker to the beginning of the festive season.