Santa Lucia

The Swedish Feast day of Santa Lucia goes back to the Saint St. Lucia of Syracus and is celebrated on 13th December each year (under the Julian Calender the day of the winter solstice) with processions of young girls clad in white wearing candles on their heads and singing traditional songs in worship of St. Lucia and the returning of the light.

The Swedish Embassies worldwide celebrate this special holiday and luckily we have one in Skopje, as well. This year´s celebration was the best so far It took place in the National Theatre, little saffron buns and ginger cookies were served together with mulled wine that had raisins and nuts in it, and then there was a performance, first of a lady´s choir that sang christmas songs from Macedonia, Sweden and a few that are universal. Then two most wonderful Soprano singers performed. One is the Swedish Ambassador´s wife and the other her twin sister and they were so fantastic - I still get goose bumps thinking about it! Last but not least the children´s procession came in singing „Santa Lucia“ together with the lady´s choir, all dressed in white and the first child with 4 real candles on a head piece, the rest were wearing electric candles (the safer choice with so many children ). Afterwards there was a buffet feast of Swedish food with Köterbullar and salmon dishes. I always love this event because it has such a warm and wonderfully chrismassy feeling to it, but this year was the best so far

This is what I was wearing to it, welcoming back the light (even though it was still getting darker in reality, I felt the light peaking through already) .



I have shown a variation of this one before. The Elfbeds Shinemas is new and had its first outing on this day and I rearranged it with less red so the yellow (light) is shining brighter. And for the first time ever the red on black dragon focal from Christa shows its face on a bracelet (he is very camera shy )

Thanks for telling us about the festival so clearly. I almost feel that I was there. Love the saffron buns on your bracelet. Very yummy!

The festival sounds wonderful. I love your bracelet! Especially love that yellow ornament!!

Thank you for letting us share your wonderful experience by giving us such a detailed description The lack of light has really bothered me this year, so I'm ready for the turning of the light tide

Like the others, I feel as if I am there experiencing it myself through your descriptions!

The contrast of the light and dark in your bracelet is beautiful and quite fitting. Thank you for sharing!

like that this is simple and also really involved. you tell the best stories too, btw!

Beautiful bracelet with really gorgeous beads! I really adore the big amber bead!

Beautiful, is that one of the dragon's elfbeads?

Thank you my dears for your lovely comments!

Yes, Reltan, the golden-purple glass dragon is an Elfbead Dragoness.

The beautiful big round amber was gifted to me by my lovely Secret Halloween Swap partner And I found the yellow ornament at a wonderful LD this autumn, it must have been fate that everybody else had overlooked it for two years...

Santa Lucia is such a beautiful custom

TFS. Santa Lucia has a special meaning in our house my Mom is Swedish and when my oldest got her American Girl Doll Grandma made a Santa Lucia outfit for my daughter and her doll. What lovely memories Christmas brings.

Thanks so very much for the historical background - I love reading about it and looking at the wonderful pictures!