Dec 13 - Santa Lucia in Sweden - "The Queen of Light!" Battalioncommander2 | November 29, 2010 Saint Lucy's Day or the Feast of St. Lucy (Santa Lucia, Saint Lucia or sometimes Lucia for short) is the …More
Dec 13 - Santa Lucia in Sweden - "The Queen of Light!"
Battalioncommander2 | November 29, 2010 Saint Lucy's Day or the Feast of St. Lucy (Santa Lucia, Saint Lucia or sometimes Lucia for short) is the Church feast day dedicated to St. Lucy and is observed on December 13. Its modern day celebration is generally associated with Sweden, but is also observed in Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland (the Swedish speaking population), Malta, Italy, Bosnia, Bavaria, Croatia and Slovakia. In the United States it is celebrated in states with a large number of people of Scandinavian ancestry, often centered around church events.
In traditional celebrations, Saint Lucy comes as a young woman with lights and sweets. It is one of the few saint days observed in Scandinavia. In some forms, a procession is headed by one girl wearing a crown of candles (or lights), while others in the procession hold only a single candle each.
Battalioncommander2 | November 29, 2010 Saint Lucy's Day or the Feast of St. Lucy (Santa Lucia, Saint Lucia or sometimes Lucia for short) is the Church feast day dedicated to St. Lucy and is observed on December 13. Its modern day celebration is generally associated with Sweden, but is also observed in Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland (the Swedish speaking population), Malta, Italy, Bosnia, Bavaria, Croatia and Slovakia. In the United States it is celebrated in states with a large number of people of Scandinavian ancestry, often centered around church events.
In traditional celebrations, Saint Lucy comes as a young woman with lights and sweets. It is one of the few saint days observed in Scandinavia. In some forms, a procession is headed by one girl wearing a crown of candles (or lights), while others in the procession hold only a single candle each.
Santa Lucia in Sweden - "The Queen of Light!"
Sainte Lucie de Syracuse Vierge et martyre en Sicile (+ 305)
Vierge et martyre à Syracuse, elle est victime de la persécution de Dioclétien en 304. Son nom même évoque la lumière, mais sa vie reste dans l'ombre. Elle fut très populaire et son culte remonte aux premiers siècles. Il s'étendit jusqu'en Scandinavie, en particulier en Suède où la fête païenne de la lumière et des mauvais esprits …More
Sainte Lucie de Syracuse Vierge et martyre en Sicile (+ 305)
Vierge et martyre à Syracuse, elle est victime de la persécution de Dioclétien en 304. Son nom même évoque la lumière, mais sa vie reste dans l'ombre. Elle fut très populaire et son culte remonte aux premiers siècles. Il s'étendit jusqu'en Scandinavie, en particulier en Suède où la fête païenne de la lumière et des mauvais esprits qui luttent contre elle, a été remplacée par la fête de sainte Lucie. A cette date, ce sont les longues nuits de l'hiver nordique. Nous connaissons aussi de longues nuits dans les doutes de notre foi. La rédaction de sa "passion" date du 5ème voire du 6ème siècle et beaucoup de détails y sont légendaires : enfermée dans un lieu de prostitution, elle sut résister à toute avance ; attelée à deux bœufs pour l'écarteler, ils ne purent bouger ; mise sur un bûcher, les flammes s'éloignèrent d'elle. Ses reliques vénérées à Syracuse ont été transportées d'abord à Constantinople et actuellement à Venise. Saint Thomas d'Aquin parle d'elle à deux reprises dans sa " Somme théologique ".
Sainte-Lucie est la patronne des personnes non voyantes, des couteliers, des agriculteurs, des vendeurs, des fabricants de vitraux et des écrivains. Elle est invoquée pour faire cesser les hémorragies, pour retrouver la vue, pour guérir les maladies des yeux et pour soulager les maux de gorge.
Vierge et martyre à Syracuse, elle est victime de la persécution de Dioclétien en 304. Son nom même évoque la lumière, mais sa vie reste dans l'ombre. Elle fut très populaire et son culte remonte aux premiers siècles. Il s'étendit jusqu'en Scandinavie, en particulier en Suède où la fête païenne de la lumière et des mauvais esprits qui luttent contre elle, a été remplacée par la fête de sainte Lucie. A cette date, ce sont les longues nuits de l'hiver nordique. Nous connaissons aussi de longues nuits dans les doutes de notre foi. La rédaction de sa "passion" date du 5ème voire du 6ème siècle et beaucoup de détails y sont légendaires : enfermée dans un lieu de prostitution, elle sut résister à toute avance ; attelée à deux bœufs pour l'écarteler, ils ne purent bouger ; mise sur un bûcher, les flammes s'éloignèrent d'elle. Ses reliques vénérées à Syracuse ont été transportées d'abord à Constantinople et actuellement à Venise. Saint Thomas d'Aquin parle d'elle à deux reprises dans sa " Somme théologique ".
Sainte-Lucie est la patronne des personnes non voyantes, des couteliers, des agriculteurs, des vendeurs, des fabricants de vitraux et des écrivains. Elle est invoquée pour faire cesser les hémorragies, pour retrouver la vue, pour guérir les maladies des yeux et pour soulager les maux de gorge.
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"Sankt Luzia" in Schweden ist auch eine protestantische Erfindung. Mit unserer Heiligen Luzia, der Syrakusanerin, hat "diese" Luziabraut nichts zu schaffen. Sie ist höchstens ein gaaanz entfernter Schimmer einer gut katholischen Tradition, die sie wieder "erweckt" haben. Um es zu präzisieren, war es im 18.Jahrhundert als die "Luzia" wieder in Schweden gefeiert wurde. Eine Kontinuität gibt es nicht. …More
"Sankt Luzia" in Schweden ist auch eine protestantische Erfindung. Mit unserer Heiligen Luzia, der Syrakusanerin, hat "diese" Luziabraut nichts zu schaffen. Sie ist höchstens ein gaaanz entfernter Schimmer einer gut katholischen Tradition, die sie wieder "erweckt" haben. Um es zu präzisieren, war es im 18.Jahrhundert als die "Luzia" wieder in Schweden gefeiert wurde. Eine Kontinuität gibt es nicht.
Ich finde es ein Graus, dass "diese" Luzia mittlerweile in unsere katholischen Kirchen gekommen ist. Anstatt dass die Gläubigen die Märtyrerin verehren, die in unseren Kirchen nicht gerade selten steht, dekorieren sie ein hübsches Mädel mit Kranz und Kerzen und haben somit einen "Luther-Brauch" in die eigene Kirche geholt.
Ich finde es ein Graus, dass "diese" Luzia mittlerweile in unsere katholischen Kirchen gekommen ist. Anstatt dass die Gläubigen die Märtyrerin verehren, die in unseren Kirchen nicht gerade selten steht, dekorieren sie ein hübsches Mädel mit Kranz und Kerzen und haben somit einen "Luther-Brauch" in die eigene Kirche geholt.
Thank you Gregory! Las Manyanitas, live: www.virgendeguadalupe.org.mx/Transmision-vivo.html
holyrope 3
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Very nice...One can wonder if St. Lucia looks down from heaven upon this, or maybe she's there! And how really special would be if all the maidens (unless married) were all virgins. Very nice.
Oh, this song makes me so homesick. Every year it is the day that REALLY begins the Christmastime! We used to bake certain "Lucia-pulla", as we call it in Finland, and then.... At home, at school, everywhere you'd hear this song. And on the TV they would show the girl, who ofiicially had been elected to be the Lucia of the year. Then for a year she would do charity work - visit in hospitals, in …More
Oh, this song makes me so homesick. Every year it is the day that REALLY begins the Christmastime! We used to bake certain "Lucia-pulla", as we call it in Finland, and then.... At home, at school, everywhere you'd hear this song. And on the TV they would show the girl, who ofiicially had been elected to be the Lucia of the year. Then for a year she would do charity work - visit in hospitals, in special homes for the elderly, and she would work to help the homeless and the poor people. I don't know why this tradtion has "overlived" troughout the centuries in the strickt Lutheran Scandinavia, but there we are!
God jul - Hyvää joulua!
God jul - Hyvää joulua!
In Svezia Lucia è molto venerata, sia dalla chiesa cattolica, che da quella luterana. I bambini preparano biscotti e dolciumi a partire dal 12 dicembre. La mattina del 13, la figlia maggiore della famiglia si alza ancor prima dell'alba e si veste con un lungo abito bianco legato in vita da una cintura rossa; la testa è ornata da una corona di foglie e da sette candele utili per vedere chiaramente …More
In Svezia Lucia è molto venerata, sia dalla chiesa cattolica, che da quella luterana. I bambini preparano biscotti e dolciumi a partire dal 12 dicembre. La mattina del 13, la figlia maggiore della famiglia si alza ancor prima dell'alba e si veste con un lungo abito bianco legato in vita da una cintura rossa; la testa è ornata da una corona di foglie e da sette candele utili per vedere chiaramente nel buio. Le sorelle, che indossano una camicia bianca, simboleggiano le stelle. I maschi indossano cappelli di paglia e portano lunghi bastoni decorati con stelline. La bambina vestita come santa Lucia sveglia gli altri membri della famiglia e serve loro i biscotti cucinati il giorno precedente. Nel paese scandinavo è diffusa una tradizionale canzone di santa Lucia (Luciasången) che non è altro che la celebre "santa Lucia" napoletana adattata con un testo in lingua svedese. In diverse città alcune bambine sfilano vestite come santa Lucia intonando il Luciasången di casa in casa. Ogni anno c'è un'elezione per la Lucia di Svezia che, infine, raggiunge la città siciliana di Siracusa, durante i festeggiamenti di Santa Lucia, partecipando anche alla processione dell'ottava, quando il simulacro di Santa Lucia viene ricondotto in Duomo. it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucia_da_Siracusa
La Sainte-Lucie (Sankta Lucia en suédois, mais communément appelé Lucia) est une fête ayant lieu le 13 décembre en honneur de la fête de sainte Lucie de Syracuse. Elle marque, avec l'Avent, le début de la saison de Noël. Traditionnellement une fête importante dans toute la Chrétienté occidentale, elle est aujourd'hui célébrée en Scandinavie et en Europe méridionale, particulièrement en Suède …More
La Sainte-Lucie (Sankta Lucia en suédois, mais communément appelé Lucia) est une fête ayant lieu le 13 décembre en honneur de la fête de sainte Lucie de Syracuse. Elle marque, avec l'Avent, le début de la saison de Noël. Traditionnellement une fête importante dans toute la Chrétienté occidentale, elle est aujourd'hui célébrée en Scandinavie et en Europe méridionale, particulièrement en Suède, au Danemark, en Norvège, en Finlande, en Italie, en Islande. Avant la réforme du calendrier grégorien, au XVIe siècle, la fête tombait le jour du solstice d'hiver dans l'hémisphère nord. En Suède, pays où la fête est la plus répandue, elle est originaire du Västergötland, dans le sud-ouest du pays, et s'est progressivement étendue à tout le pays, puis au XXe siècle aux territoires finlandais suédophones comme Åland, et dans une certaine mesure dans d'autres pays tels le Danemark et la Norvège. Lucie est un prénom venant du latin lux, lucis, désignant la lumière, et la lumière est à l'honneur lors de ces célébrations. En Scandinavie [modifier] En Suède, sainte Lucie (appelée Lucia) est vénérée le 13 décembre dans une cérémonie où une fille, élue « Lucia », marche devant une procession de femmes ; elles sont toutes parées de blanc avec ceinture de tissu rouge, la Lucia avec une couronne de bougies et les autres une bougie à la main. Les bougies représentent le feu qui refuse de prendre la vie de sainte Lucie au bûcher, et la ceinture rouge peut-être le martyre de la sainte. Les femmes chantent une chanson de Lucia en entrant dans la pièce ; la mélodie est celle de la chanson napolitaine Santa Lucia, mais où la version napolitaine décrit la belle vue depuis le quartier de Santa Lucia de Naples, les diverses versions scandinaves parlent de la lumière avec qui Lucia vainc le noir. A la fin de la chanson, la procession poursuit avec chants de Noël ou d'autres chants sur Lucia. Quand les pays Scandinaves étaient encore Catholiques, la nuit de Lucia était célébrée comme une fête parmi les autres. Toutefois, la tradition continua même après la Réforme protestante des années 1520 et 1530. Selon le calendrier julien la nuit de Lucia était la plus longue de l'année. C'est probablement pourquoi la fête persiste dans les pays Nordiques, les nuits de novembre et décembre étant très longues et sombres avant les premières neiges ; l'idée de la lumière vainquant le noir est alors très bienvenue. Suède [modifier] Procession de Lucia en Suède, 2007Certains tracent le renouveau des célébrations de Lucia en Suède à la tradition allemande protestante de vêtir les filles en Christ enfant (« Kindchen Jesus », « Christkindl ») et les faire distribuer des cadeaux de Noël. La variante suédoise de cela est le « Kinken Jes », qui commence à apparaître parmi la haute classe moyenne dans les années 1700 : la fille porte une couronne de bougies et distribue des bonbons et petits gâteaux aux enfants. Une autre théorie évolua des vieilles traditions suédoises des « garçons étoilés » (« stjärngossar ») et des anges vêtus de blanc qui iraient chanter des chants de Noël pendant l'Avent et Noël. Quoi qu'il en soit, la tradition présente, où une femme ou jeune fille parée de blanc et portant une couronne de bougies apparaît le matin de la fête, commença aux environs du lac Vänern vers la fin du XVIIIe siècle et se répandit lentement au reste du pays pendant le siècle suivant. En 1893, le musée de Skansen remet au jour cette ancienne tradition, qu'il considère comme valant d'être préservée. La célébration sous une forme moderne est due à l'initiative en 1927 d'un quotidien stockholmois (Stockholms Dagblad), qui organise la première procession officielle de Sainte Lucie, avec l'élection d'une Lucia. La pratique se répand ensuite rapidement à travers tout le pays, grâce en particulier à l'influence de la presse locale. Aujourd'hui la plus grande partie des villes de Suède élisent une Lucia chaque année, les écoles élisent une Lucia et ses « tärnor » (demoiselles d'honneur) parmi les étudiantes, et une Lucia nationale est élue parmi les régionales. Les Lucias régionales visiteront des centres commerciaux, des églises et des institutions pour personnes âgées, chantant et répartissant des biscuits au gingembre. Il y eut débat sur la possibilité d'élire une Lucia nationale non-Blanche, qui finit en 2000 par l'élection de la première Lucia non-Blanche, une fille adoptée. Il y a des garçons dans les processions, jouant un rôle différent associé avec Noël. Certains, les « stjärngossar », sont parés de blanc comme les filles, mais portent un chapeau conique décoré d'étoiles dorées ; d'autres se déguisent en « tomtenissar », portant des lanternes, et d'autres encore peuvent se déguiser en bonhomme en pain d'épices (« Pepparkaksgubb »). Ils participent aux chants et ont un chant ou deux pour eux-mêmes, le plus souvent Staffan Stalledräng, qui raconte l'histoire d'Étienne s'occupant de ses cinq chevaux. LussekattOn mange traditionnellement des lussekatt, gâteaux d'épices au safran. Bien que la Sainte-Lucie ne soit pas un jour férié officiel en Suède, c'est une fête très aimée des Suédois. Le soir et la nuit peuvent être très bruyants, les lycéens en particulier profitant de l'occasion de faire la fête. Aux universités les étudiants tiennent de grands dîners formels, leur dernière chance de ce faire avant que la plupart ne partent retourner en famille pour Noël. Les paroles suédoises de la chanson napolitaine Santa Lucia sont traditionnellement soit « Natten går tunga fjät » (« La Nuit marche à pas lourds »), ou « Sankta Lucia, ljusklara hägring » (« Sainte Lucie, brillante illusion »). Il existe également une version moderne à paroles plus faciles, pour les enfants : « Ute är mörkt och kallt » (« Dehors il fait noir et froid »). Danemark [modifier] Lucia au Danemark, 2005Au Danemark la Sainte-Lucie, appelée « Luciadag », est célébrée pour la première fois le 13 décembre 1944. La tradition fut directement importée de la Suède par Franz Wend, secrétaire de Föreningen Norden, dans un essai « d'apporter de la lumière en ces temps noirs ». C'était implicitement un acte de protestation passive contre l'occupation du pays par les troupes allemandes nazies, mais la tradition continua au-delà de la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Quoique la tradition fut importée de la Suède, au Danemark elle diffère en étant beaucoup plus centrée sur la religion ; les processions et célébrations se font au sein de l'église locale en conjonction avec Noël. Les écoles et les maternelles fêtent également le jour, mais l'impact de Lucia sur le reste de la société danoise est minime. Quoique pas très répandu encore, il existe plusieurs traditions particulièrement danoises : la nuit précédente on allume des bougies en éteignant toute lumière électrique, et le dimanche le plus proche du 13 décembre les Danois vont à l'église. Les versions danoises de la chanson napolitaine reflètent clairement les liens plus étroits avec le Christianisme dans ce pays. « Sankta Lucia » de Holger Lissners, datant de 1982, est la version la plus connue. En Italie [modifier] Lucie est la sainte patronne de Syracuse (Sicile), sa ville natale. La célébration principale se déroule le 13 décembre, mais aussi en mai. En Sicile et parmi la diaspora sicilienne on mange du cucciá pour rappeler du miracle où Lucie écarta la famine. Sainte Lucie est également populaire parmi les enfants du nord-est de l'Italie, partculièrement Trente, Lombardie orientale (Bergame, Brescia, Crémone, Mantoue), Vénétie (Vérone), et Émilie-Romagne (Parme, Plaisance et Reggio d'Émilie). Elle donne des cadeaux aux enfants sages et du charbon aux méchants. Les enfants lui laissent quelque chose à manger (un sandwich ou tout ce qu'ils auraient sous la main), ainsi que pour son âne volant qui l'aide à distribuer ses cadeaux. Ils ne doivent pas voir la sainte, qui leur jettera des cendres aux yeux s'ils essaient. Aux États-Unis [modifier] Aux États-Unis l'Église luthérane des États-Unis, à la tête de centaines de congrégations scandinaves et allemandes, commémore sainte Lucie le 13 décembre avec cérémonies où on se pare de rouge. Le dimanche le plus proche du 13 est réservé aux processions traditionnelles scandinaves. En France [modifier] En France, Lucie de Syracuse n'est pas très connue. La ville de Montbéliard, tous les ans, fête cette Sainte lors du traditionnel défilé des Lumières, le 13 Décembre. Dans la ville de Lyon, c'est la Fête des lumières le 8 décembre. Annexes [modifier] Wikimedia Commons propose des documents multimédia libres sur Sainte-Lucie (fête). Références [modifier] (fr) La Sainte-Lucie (se) Lucia ; Nordisk familjebok ; 1912 (en) Lucia's Day: The Festival of Light (en) "Santa Lucia" in Sweden (en) Stig A. Eriksson ; Christmas traditions and performance rituals: a look at Christmas celebrations in a Nordic context ; Applied Theater Researcher No. 3. 6/3 ; 2002 (no) J. Nygaard ; Teatrets historie i Europa ; volume 1 ; Oslo ; Spillerom ; 1992 (no) O. Bø ; Vår norske jul ; Oslo ; Samlaget ; 1993 (no) NRK radio ; Språkteigen ; décembre 2002 (en) Cet article est partiellement ou en totalité issu de l’article de Wikipédia en anglais intitulé « Saint Lucy's Day » (voir la liste des auteurs) Articles connexes [modifier] Lucie de Syracuse fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainte-Lucie_(f%C3%AAte)
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Das Luciafest ist ein vorweihnachtlicher Brauch, der vor allem in Schweden verbreitet ist. Das Fest fällt immer auf den 13. Dezember, der in den christlichen Kirchen der Gedenktag der Heiligen Lucia ist und vor der Gregorianischen Kalenderreform der kürzeste Tag des Jahres war. Auch in Schweden handelt es sich nicht um einen gesetzlichen Feiertag.
Ursprung und Entwicklung [Bearbeiten]
Da der 13.…More
Das Luciafest ist ein vorweihnachtlicher Brauch, der vor allem in Schweden verbreitet ist. Das Fest fällt immer auf den 13. Dezember, der in den christlichen Kirchen der Gedenktag der Heiligen Lucia ist und vor der Gregorianischen Kalenderreform der kürzeste Tag des Jahres war. Auch in Schweden handelt es sich nicht um einen gesetzlichen Feiertag.
Ursprung und Entwicklung [Bearbeiten]
Da der 13. Dezember in Schweden bis 1752[1][2] auf die Wintersonnenwende fiel, steht das Luciafest letztlich in der Tradition älterer Sonnenwendfeierlichkeiten. Auf welchen Wegen aus diesen Feierlichkeiten das heutige Luciafest entstand, ist jedoch schwer zu rekonstruieren.
Eine besondere schwedische Ausprägung des Festes lässt sich frühestens für das Mittelalter nachweisen. Aus dieser Zeit gibt es Berichte über Feierlichkeiten, mit denen die Landbevölkerung das Ende der vorweihnachtlichen landwirtschaftlichen Arbeiten und den Beginn des Weihnachtsfastens beging. Ab etwa 1760 berichten Zeitzeugen erstmals vom Tragen weißer Gewänder auf Gutshöfen in Westschweden. Dort entstand demnach, begrenzt auf einen kleinen Teil des Landes und der Bevölkerung, das heute auffälligste Element des Luciafestes.
Zu einem landesweiten Brauch entwickelte sich das Luciafest erst in den letzten hundert Jahren. Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts griff das Stockholmer Freilichtmuseum Skansen die westschwedischen Luciatraditionen auf, um sie für kommende Generationen zu bewahren. Gleichzeitig begann der Brauch, sich über seine ursprünglichen Grenzen hinaus in der Bevölkerung zu verbreiten. Dieser Prozess verstärkte sich, als eine Stockholmer Zeitung im Jahr 1927 zum ersten Mal eine Lucia wählte. In der Folge fand das Luciafest einen festen Platz im schwedischen Brauchtum.
Heutige Form [Bearbeiten]
Luciafest in einem schwedischen Kindergarten.
Obwohl das Luciafest dem Namen nach ein Heiligengedenktag ist, ist es heute wenig kirchlich geprägt. Die wichtigsten Elemente sind das Tragen von weißen Gewändern und Kerzen, der Verzehr von traditionellem Safrangebäck (lussekatter), das Singen von Lucialiedern, und die Wahl einer örtlichen Lucia.
Die Feierlichkeiten beginnen meist am Morgen in der Familie und setzen sich in Kindergärten, Schulen und am Arbeitsplatz fort. Ein Mädchen, in der Familie traditionell die älteste Tochter,[3] spielt die Lucia. Sie trägt ein weißes Gewand, ein rotes Band um die Taille und einen Kranz mit Kerzen auf dem Kopf. Ihr folgen oft weitere Mädchen (tärnor), die Kerzen in den Händen halten, sowie manchmal auch Sternenknaben (stjärngossar), Pfefferkuchenmännchen (pepparkaksgubbar) und Wichte (tomtar) in einer regelrechten Prozession. Der Verbrennungsgefahr wegen tragen Kinder heute überwiegend elektrische Kerzen.
Auch in Norwegen, Dänemark und Finnland erfreut sich das Luciafest zunehmender Beliebtheit. In deutschen Partnergemeinden gibt es ebenfalls Veranstaltungen, zu denen meistens Gäste aus der jeweiligen Stadt eingeladen werden.[4] Auch in Ungarn wurde die Tradition des Lucia-Festes (Lucia-Stuhl) seit 1990 wiederbelebt.
Zusammenhang mit der Heiligen Lucia [Bearbeiten]
Luciafest in einer schwedischen Kirche.
Inwieweit das Luciafest in seiner in Schweden populären Ausprägung tatsächlich mit der Heiligen Lucia in Zusammenhang steht, ist nicht eindeutig zu beantworten.
Einerseits verdankt das Fest seinen heutigen Status der Tatsache, dass der 13. Dezember in Schweden bis 1752[1][2] der kürzeste Tag des Jahres war. In diesem Zusammenhang fällt auf, dass Kerzenlicht auch in anderen winterlichen und weihnachtlichen Bräuchen eine wichtige Rolle spielt (Weihnachtsbaum, Adventskranz). Landesweite Verbreitung erfuhr das Fest darüber hinaus nicht als kirchlicher Feiertag, sondern als häuslicher Brauch.
Andererseits passt das Element des auf dem Kopf getragenen Kerzenkranzes zu Beschreibungen der Heiligen Lucia. Von dieser wird bisweilen berichtet, dass sie um der freien Hände willen einen Kerzenkranz auf dem Kopf trug, wenn sie andere Frühchristen heimlich mit Lebensmitteln versorgte. Geht man einen Schritt weiter, lässt sich das weiße Gewand mit um die Taille geschlungenem roten Band als Verweis auf Lucias Christentum, ihre Zugehörigkeit zum Stand der geweihten Jungfrauen und ihren Tod als Märtyrin deuten. Lucia hatte die Ehelosigkeit um Christi willen gelobt und starb der Überlieferung zufolge an einem Dolchstoß in den Hals.[3] In dieser Interpretation steht das weiße Gewand für ihre Keuschheit und das rote Band für das Martyrium.
Literatur [Bearbeiten]
Kerstin Risse: Die Erfindung einer Tradition: das Lucia-Fest in Schweden. Magisterarbeit, Universität Tübingen 2000. 98 S.
Weblinks [Bearbeiten]
Commons: Luciafest– Sammlung von Bildern, Videos und Audiodateien
Brauchtum zum Luciafest (englisch)
Geschichte des Luciafestes vom Freilichtmuseum Skansen (schwedisch)
Eintrag im Ökumenischen Heiligenlexikon
Hintergrund des Luciafests
Einzelnachweise [Bearbeiten]
↑ a b Die Gregorianische Kalenderreform wurde in Schweden nicht "in einem Rutsch" durchgeführt, sondern zog sich in etwas verwirrender Weise über mehr als ein halbes Jahrhundert hin. Das resultierte darin, dass der 13. Dezember bis 1699 der kürzeste Tag des Jahres war, von 1700 bis 1711 jedoch nicht, und von 1712 bis 1752 doch wieder. Eine genauere Erklärung liefert Gunnar Welin (auf Schwedisch, siehe unten).
↑ a b Gunnar Welin: Tideräkning (PDF-Datei; etwa 115 kB). 6. November 2008.
↑ a b Encyclopædia Britannica. www.britannica.com/eb/article-9049259. 3. April 2007.
↑ Quickborner Umschau. 28. November 2007.
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciafest
Ursprung und Entwicklung [Bearbeiten]
Da der 13. Dezember in Schweden bis 1752[1][2] auf die Wintersonnenwende fiel, steht das Luciafest letztlich in der Tradition älterer Sonnenwendfeierlichkeiten. Auf welchen Wegen aus diesen Feierlichkeiten das heutige Luciafest entstand, ist jedoch schwer zu rekonstruieren.
Eine besondere schwedische Ausprägung des Festes lässt sich frühestens für das Mittelalter nachweisen. Aus dieser Zeit gibt es Berichte über Feierlichkeiten, mit denen die Landbevölkerung das Ende der vorweihnachtlichen landwirtschaftlichen Arbeiten und den Beginn des Weihnachtsfastens beging. Ab etwa 1760 berichten Zeitzeugen erstmals vom Tragen weißer Gewänder auf Gutshöfen in Westschweden. Dort entstand demnach, begrenzt auf einen kleinen Teil des Landes und der Bevölkerung, das heute auffälligste Element des Luciafestes.
Zu einem landesweiten Brauch entwickelte sich das Luciafest erst in den letzten hundert Jahren. Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts griff das Stockholmer Freilichtmuseum Skansen die westschwedischen Luciatraditionen auf, um sie für kommende Generationen zu bewahren. Gleichzeitig begann der Brauch, sich über seine ursprünglichen Grenzen hinaus in der Bevölkerung zu verbreiten. Dieser Prozess verstärkte sich, als eine Stockholmer Zeitung im Jahr 1927 zum ersten Mal eine Lucia wählte. In der Folge fand das Luciafest einen festen Platz im schwedischen Brauchtum.
Heutige Form [Bearbeiten]
Luciafest in einem schwedischen Kindergarten.
Obwohl das Luciafest dem Namen nach ein Heiligengedenktag ist, ist es heute wenig kirchlich geprägt. Die wichtigsten Elemente sind das Tragen von weißen Gewändern und Kerzen, der Verzehr von traditionellem Safrangebäck (lussekatter), das Singen von Lucialiedern, und die Wahl einer örtlichen Lucia.
Die Feierlichkeiten beginnen meist am Morgen in der Familie und setzen sich in Kindergärten, Schulen und am Arbeitsplatz fort. Ein Mädchen, in der Familie traditionell die älteste Tochter,[3] spielt die Lucia. Sie trägt ein weißes Gewand, ein rotes Band um die Taille und einen Kranz mit Kerzen auf dem Kopf. Ihr folgen oft weitere Mädchen (tärnor), die Kerzen in den Händen halten, sowie manchmal auch Sternenknaben (stjärngossar), Pfefferkuchenmännchen (pepparkaksgubbar) und Wichte (tomtar) in einer regelrechten Prozession. Der Verbrennungsgefahr wegen tragen Kinder heute überwiegend elektrische Kerzen.
Auch in Norwegen, Dänemark und Finnland erfreut sich das Luciafest zunehmender Beliebtheit. In deutschen Partnergemeinden gibt es ebenfalls Veranstaltungen, zu denen meistens Gäste aus der jeweiligen Stadt eingeladen werden.[4] Auch in Ungarn wurde die Tradition des Lucia-Festes (Lucia-Stuhl) seit 1990 wiederbelebt.
Zusammenhang mit der Heiligen Lucia [Bearbeiten]
Luciafest in einer schwedischen Kirche.
Inwieweit das Luciafest in seiner in Schweden populären Ausprägung tatsächlich mit der Heiligen Lucia in Zusammenhang steht, ist nicht eindeutig zu beantworten.
Einerseits verdankt das Fest seinen heutigen Status der Tatsache, dass der 13. Dezember in Schweden bis 1752[1][2] der kürzeste Tag des Jahres war. In diesem Zusammenhang fällt auf, dass Kerzenlicht auch in anderen winterlichen und weihnachtlichen Bräuchen eine wichtige Rolle spielt (Weihnachtsbaum, Adventskranz). Landesweite Verbreitung erfuhr das Fest darüber hinaus nicht als kirchlicher Feiertag, sondern als häuslicher Brauch.
Andererseits passt das Element des auf dem Kopf getragenen Kerzenkranzes zu Beschreibungen der Heiligen Lucia. Von dieser wird bisweilen berichtet, dass sie um der freien Hände willen einen Kerzenkranz auf dem Kopf trug, wenn sie andere Frühchristen heimlich mit Lebensmitteln versorgte. Geht man einen Schritt weiter, lässt sich das weiße Gewand mit um die Taille geschlungenem roten Band als Verweis auf Lucias Christentum, ihre Zugehörigkeit zum Stand der geweihten Jungfrauen und ihren Tod als Märtyrin deuten. Lucia hatte die Ehelosigkeit um Christi willen gelobt und starb der Überlieferung zufolge an einem Dolchstoß in den Hals.[3] In dieser Interpretation steht das weiße Gewand für ihre Keuschheit und das rote Band für das Martyrium.
Literatur [Bearbeiten]
Kerstin Risse: Die Erfindung einer Tradition: das Lucia-Fest in Schweden. Magisterarbeit, Universität Tübingen 2000. 98 S.
Weblinks [Bearbeiten]
Commons: Luciafest– Sammlung von Bildern, Videos und Audiodateien
Brauchtum zum Luciafest (englisch)
Geschichte des Luciafestes vom Freilichtmuseum Skansen (schwedisch)
Eintrag im Ökumenischen Heiligenlexikon
Hintergrund des Luciafests
Einzelnachweise [Bearbeiten]
↑ a b Die Gregorianische Kalenderreform wurde in Schweden nicht "in einem Rutsch" durchgeführt, sondern zog sich in etwas verwirrender Weise über mehr als ein halbes Jahrhundert hin. Das resultierte darin, dass der 13. Dezember bis 1699 der kürzeste Tag des Jahres war, von 1700 bis 1711 jedoch nicht, und von 1712 bis 1752 doch wieder. Eine genauere Erklärung liefert Gunnar Welin (auf Schwedisch, siehe unten).
↑ a b Gunnar Welin: Tideräkning (PDF-Datei; etwa 115 kB). 6. November 2008.
↑ a b Encyclopædia Britannica. www.britannica.com/eb/article-9049259. 3. April 2007.
↑ Quickborner Umschau. 28. November 2007.
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciafest
Saint Lucy's Day or the Feast of St. Lucy (Santa Lucia, Saint Lucia or sometimes Lucia for short) is the Church feast day dedicated to St. Lucy and is observed on December 13. Its modern day celebration is generally associated with Sweden, but is also observed in Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland (the Swedish speaking population), Malta, Italy, Bosnia, Bavaria, Croatia and Slovakia …More
Saint Lucy's Day or the Feast of St. Lucy (Santa Lucia, Saint Lucia or sometimes Lucia for short) is the Church feast day dedicated to St. Lucy and is observed on December 13. Its modern day celebration is generally associated with Sweden, but is also observed in Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland (the Swedish speaking population), Malta, Italy, Bosnia, Bavaria, Croatia and Slovakia.[citation needed] In the United States it is celebrated in states with a large number of people of Scandinavian ancestry, often centered around church events.
In traditional celebrations, Saint Lucy comes as a young woman with lights and sweets. It is one of the few saint days observed in Scandinavia. In some forms, a procession is headed by one girl wearing a crown of candles (or lights), while others in the procession hold only a single candle each.
Celebration
[edit] In Scandinavia
In Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Norway, and Finland, Lucy (called Lucia) it is venerated on December 13 in a ceremony where a girl is elected to portray Lucia. Wearing a white gown with a red sash and a crown of candles on her head, she walks at the head of a procession of women, each holding a candle. The candles symbolize the fire that refused to take St. Lucia's life when she was sentenced to be burned. The women sing a Lucia song while entering the room, to the melody of the traditional Neapolitan song Santa Lucia; the Italian lyrics describe the view from Santa Lucia in Naples, the various Scandinavian lyrics are fashioned for the occasion, describing the light with which Lucia overcomes the darkness. Each Scandinavian country has lyrics in their native tongues. After finishing this song, the procession sings Christmas carols or more songs about Lucia. A similar version occurs in Scandinavian communities and churches in the United States.
[edit] Sweden
A girl in the Lucia procession in Sweden, 2007
Some trace the "re-birth" of the Lucia celebrations in Sweden to the tradition in German Protestant families of having girls dressed as angelic Christ children, handing out Christmas presents. The Swedish variant of this white-dressed Kindchen Jesus, or Christkind, was called Kinken Jes, and started to appear in upper-class families in the 18th century on Christmas Eve with a candle-wreath in her hair, handing out candy and cakes to the children. Another theory claims that the Lucia celebration evolved from old Swedish traditions of “star boys” and white-dressed angels singing Christmas carols at different events during Advent and Christmas. In either case, the current tradition of having a white-dressed woman with candles in her hair appearing on the morning of the Lucia day started in the area around Lake Vänern in the late 18th century and spread slowly to other parts of the country during the 19th century.
In the Lucia procession in the home depicted by Carl Larsson in 1908, the oldest daughter brings coffee and St. Lucia buns to her parents while wearing a candle-wreath and singing a Lucia song. Other daughters may help, dressed in the same kind of white robe and carrying a candle in one hand, but only the oldest daughter wears the candle-wreath.
The crowning of a Swedish towns Lucia.
The modern tradition of having public processions in the Swedish cities started in 1927 when a newspaper in Stockholm elected an official Lucia for Stockholm that year. The initiative was then followed around the country through the local press. Today most cities in Sweden appoint a Lucia every year. Schools elect a Lucia and her maids among the students and a national Lucia is elected on national television from regional winners. The regional Lucias will visit shopping malls, old people's homes and churches, singing and handing out pepparkakor (gingerbread).
There are now also boys in the procession, playing different roles associated with Christmas. Some may be dressed in the same kind of white robe, but with a cone-shaped hat decorated with golden stars, called stjärngossar (star boys); some may be dressed up as "tomtenissar", carrying lanterns; and some may be dressed up as gingerbread men. They participate in the singing and also have a song or two of their own, usually Staffan Stalledräng, which tells the story about Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, caring for his five horses.
Lucia bun, made with saffron.
A traditional kind of bun, Lussekatt ("St. Lucia Bun"), made with saffron, is normally eaten on this day.
Although St. Lucia's Day is not an official holiday in Sweden, it is a popular occasion in Sweden. The evening and night before (so called "Lusse-vigil") The Lucia Day is a notoriously noisy time. High school students often celebrate by partying all through the night. At many universities, students hold big formal dinner parties since this is the last chance to celebrate together before most students go home to their families for Christmas.
The Swedish lyrics to the Neapolitan song Santa Lucia have traditionally been either Natten går tunga fjät (The Night walks with heavy steps) or Santa Lucia, ljusklara hägring (Saint Lucy, bright mirage). There is also a modern version with easier text for children: Ute är mörkt och kallt (Outside it's dark and cold).
In 2008 there was some controversy over males as Lucia, with one male who was elected Lucia at a high school being blocked from performing, and another performing together with a female.[1][2] In another case a six year old boy was not allowed to appear with a Lucia crown because the school couldn't guarantee his safety.[3]
[edit] Finland
The Finnish celebrations have been historically tied to Swedish culture and the Finland-Swedes. The first records of St. Lucy celebrations in Finland are from 1898, and the first large celebrations came in 1930, a couple of years after the popularization of the celebrations in Sweden. The St. Lucy of Finland has been elected since 1949 and she is crowned in the Helsinki Cathedral. Local St.Lucy's are elected in almost every place where there is a Swedish populace in Finland. The Finnish-speaking population has also lately begun to embrace the celebrations.[4]
[edit] Denmark
Danish girls in the Lucia procession at a Helsingør public school, 2001
In Denmark, the Day of Lucia (Luciadag) was first celebrated on December 13, 1944. The tradition was directly imported from Sweden by initiative of Franz Wend, secretary of Föreningen Norden, as an attempt "to bring light in a time of darkness”. Implicitly it was meant as a passive protest against German occupation during the Second World War but it has been a tradition ever since.
Although the tradition is imported from Sweden, it differs somewhat in that the celebration has always been strongly centered on Christianity and it is a yearly local event in most churches in conjunction with Christmas. Schools and kindergartens also use the occasion to mark the event as a special day for children on one of the final days before the Christmas holidays, but it does not have much impact anywhere else in society.
There are also a number of additional historical traditions connected with the celebration, which are not widely observed. The night before candles are lit and all electrical lights are turned off, and on the Sunday closest to December 13 Danes traditionally attend church.
The Danish versions of the Neapolitan song clearly reflect its close connection to Christianity. The best known version is Holger Lissners version from 1982, Sankta Lucia.
Saint Lucy's Day is celebrated also in the Faroe Islands.
[edit] Norway
The Lussinatt, the night of December 13, was largely forgotten in Norway at the beginning of the 20th century, though still remembered as an ominous night, and also celebrated in some remote areas. It was not until after World War II that the modern celebration of Lucia in Norway was imported from Sweden, and became adopted on a larger scale. It is now again observed all over the country.
Like the Swedish tradition, and unlike the Danish, Lucia is largely a secular event in Norway, and is observed in kindergartens and schools (often through secondary level). However, it has in recent years also been incorporated in the Advent liturgy in the Church of Norway. The boys are often incorporated in the procession, staging as magi with tall hats and star-staffs, and sometimes as nisses. Occasionally, anthems of Saint Stephen are taken in on behalf of the boys.
For the traditional observance of the day, school children form processions through the hallways of the school building carrying candles, and hand out lussekatt buns. While rarely observed at home, parents often take time off work to watch these school processions in the morning, and if their child should be chosen Lucia, or Lucia-bride, it is considered a great honor. Later on in the day, the procession usually visits retirement homes, hospitals, and nursing homes in the neighborhood.
[edit] Saint Lucia
In Saint Lucia, a tiny island in the Caribbean named after its patroness saint, St. Lucy, December 13 is known as Festival of Lights to honor St. Lucy Saint of Light. In this celebration, a tree is lit with decorative candles and crowds of people gather to watch. This is also to commemorate Christmas and the Christmas tree.
[edit] Italy
St. Lucia is the patron saint of the city of Syracuse (Sicily), where she was born. Celebrations take place on the 13th of December and in May. St. Lucy is also popular among children in some regions of North-Eastern Italy, namely Trentino, East Lombardy (Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona and Mantua), parts of Veneto, (Verona), parts of Emilia-Romagna, (Piacenza, Parma and Reggio Emilia), and all of Friuli, where she brings gifts to good children and coal to bad ones. Children are asked to leave some food for Lucia (a sandwich, or anything else available at the moment) and for the flying donkey that helps her carry gifts of flour, sugar, or salt. They must not watch Santa Lucia delivering these gifts, or she will throw ashes in their eyes, temporarily blinding them. In Sicily and among the Sicilian diaspora, cuccìa is eaten in memory of Saint Lucy's miraculous averting of famine.
[edit] Malta
Santa Luċija is the patron saint of the islands of Mtarfa (Malta) and Santa Luċija (Gozo) in the Mediterranean. On the 13th December Malta also celebrates Republic Day.
[edit] United States
Girl with electric candles at a Lucia celebration in Minnesota
In the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), which is the successor church to hundreds of Scandinavian and German Lutheran congregations, St. Lucia is treated as a commemoration on December 13, in which red vestments are worn. Usually, the Sunday in Advent closest to December 13 is set aside for St. Lucia, in which the traditional Scandinavian procession is observed.
[edit] Origins
St. Lucy/Lucia is one of few saints celebrated by the overwhelmingly Lutheran Scandinavian peoples (Danes, Swedes, Finns and Norwegians). The St. Lucy's Day celebrations retain many indigenous Germanic pagan, pre-Christian midwinter elements, and the practices associated with the day, predates the adoption of Christianity in Scandinavia, and is like much of Scandinavian folklore, and even religiosity today, based on the annual struggle between light and darkness.
The Nordic observation of St. Lucy is first attested in the Middle Ages, and continued after the Protestant Reformation in the 1520s and 1530s, although the modern celebration is only about 200 years old. It is likely that tradition owes its popularity in the Nordic countries to the extreme change in daylight hours between the seasons in this region.
The pre-Christian holiday of Yule, or jól, was the most important holiday in Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Originally the observance of the winter solstice, and the rebirth of the sun, it brought about many practices that remain in the Advent and Christmas celebrations today. The Yule season was a time for feasting, drinking, gift-giving, and gatherings, but also the season of awareness and fear of the forces of the dark.
[edit] Lussi
Lussinatta, the Lussi Night, was December 13, and by the unreformed Julian calendar, the longest night of the year, coinciding with Winter Solstice. Then Lussi, a female being with evil traits, like a female demon or witch, was riding through the air with her followers, called Lussiferda. This itself might be an echo of the myth of the Wild Hunt, called Oskoreia in Scandinavia, found across Northern, Western and Central Europe.
Between Lussi Night and Yule, trolls and evil spirits, in some accounts also the spirits of the dead, were thought to be active outside. It was particularly dangerous to be out during Lussi Night. Children who had done mischief had to take special care, since Lussi could come down through the chimney and take them away, and certain tasks of work in the preparation for Yule had to be finished, or else the Lussi would come to punish the household. The tradition of Lussevaka – to stay awake through the Lussinatt to guard oneself and the household against evil, has found a modern form through throwing parties until daybreak. Another company of spirits might come riding through the night around Yule itself, journeying through the air, over land and water.
It is tempting to look at Father Christmas’ journey with his reindeer as a commercial relic inspired by this superstition.
[edit] St. Lucy/Lucia
Statue of St. Lucy at Saint Leonard of Port Maurice Church in the North End of Boston
Main article: Saint Lucy
Although no sources of her life exist other than in hagiographies, St. Lucy is believed to have been a Sicilian saint who suffered a martyr's death in Syracuse, Sicily around AD 310.[5] The Guilte Legende, a widespread and influential compendium of saint's biographies compiled in the late Middle Ages, records her story thus: She was seeking help for her mother's long-term illness at the shrine of Saint Agnes, in her native Sicily, when an angel appeared to her in a dream beside the shrine. As a result of this, Lucy became a devout Christian, refused to compromise her virginity in marriage and was denounced to the Roman authorities by the man she would have wed. They threatened to drag her off to a brothel if she did not renounce her Christian beliefs, but were unable to move her, even with a thousand men and fifty oxen pulling. So they stacked materials for a fire around her instead and set light to it, but she would not stop speaking, insisting that her death would lessen the fear of it for other Christians and bring grief to non-believers. One of the soldiers stuck a spear through her throat to stop these denouncements, but to no effect. Soon afterwards, the Roman consulate in charge was hauled off to Rome on charges of theft from the state and beheaded. Saint Lucy was able to die only when she was given the Christian sacrement.[6]
In another story, Saint Lucy was working to help Christians hiding in the catacombs during the terror under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, and in order to bring with her as many supplies as possible, she needed to have both hands free. She solved this problem by attaching candles to a wreath on her head.[attribution needed]
There is little evidence that the legend itself derives from the folklore of northern Europe, but the similarities in the names ("Lussi" and "Lucia"), and the date of her festival, December 13, suggest that two separate traditions may have been brought together in the modern-day celebrations in Scandinavia.
[edit] Notes
^ Boys blocked from bearing 'girls-only' Lucia crown The Local
^ Johan Gustafsson – med rätt att lussa Metro.se
^ Sexåringen, luciakronan och säkerheten Aftonbladet.se
^ Folkhälsan: Lucia – legend och historia.
^ Hamer, Richard. 2006. Guilte Legende. Oxford University Press for the Early English Text Society. Volume 1, p 25.
^ Hamer, Richard. 2006. Volume 1, pp 22–25.
[edit] References
Eriksson, Stig A. (2002). Christmas traditions and performance rituals: a look at Christmas celebrations in a Nordic context. 2002. Applied Theater Researcher. No. 3. 6/3
Nygaard, J. (1992). Teatrets historie i Europa ("~ History in Europe"). Volume 1. Oslo: Spillerom.
NRK radio (2002). Språkteigen. NRK radio. December 2002.
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Saint Lucy's Day
Nordisk Familjebok, article Lucia Nordisk Familjebok, 1912 (Swedish)
Catholic Culture: Memorial of St. Lucy, virgin and martyr
"A Nocturnal upon Saint Lucy's Day," poem by John Donne (1572–1631)
(Swedish) article Lucia in Nordisk familjebok (1912)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucy's_Day
In traditional celebrations, Saint Lucy comes as a young woman with lights and sweets. It is one of the few saint days observed in Scandinavia. In some forms, a procession is headed by one girl wearing a crown of candles (or lights), while others in the procession hold only a single candle each.
Celebration
[edit] In Scandinavia
In Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Norway, and Finland, Lucy (called Lucia) it is venerated on December 13 in a ceremony where a girl is elected to portray Lucia. Wearing a white gown with a red sash and a crown of candles on her head, she walks at the head of a procession of women, each holding a candle. The candles symbolize the fire that refused to take St. Lucia's life when she was sentenced to be burned. The women sing a Lucia song while entering the room, to the melody of the traditional Neapolitan song Santa Lucia; the Italian lyrics describe the view from Santa Lucia in Naples, the various Scandinavian lyrics are fashioned for the occasion, describing the light with which Lucia overcomes the darkness. Each Scandinavian country has lyrics in their native tongues. After finishing this song, the procession sings Christmas carols or more songs about Lucia. A similar version occurs in Scandinavian communities and churches in the United States.
[edit] Sweden
A girl in the Lucia procession in Sweden, 2007
Some trace the "re-birth" of the Lucia celebrations in Sweden to the tradition in German Protestant families of having girls dressed as angelic Christ children, handing out Christmas presents. The Swedish variant of this white-dressed Kindchen Jesus, or Christkind, was called Kinken Jes, and started to appear in upper-class families in the 18th century on Christmas Eve with a candle-wreath in her hair, handing out candy and cakes to the children. Another theory claims that the Lucia celebration evolved from old Swedish traditions of “star boys” and white-dressed angels singing Christmas carols at different events during Advent and Christmas. In either case, the current tradition of having a white-dressed woman with candles in her hair appearing on the morning of the Lucia day started in the area around Lake Vänern in the late 18th century and spread slowly to other parts of the country during the 19th century.
In the Lucia procession in the home depicted by Carl Larsson in 1908, the oldest daughter brings coffee and St. Lucia buns to her parents while wearing a candle-wreath and singing a Lucia song. Other daughters may help, dressed in the same kind of white robe and carrying a candle in one hand, but only the oldest daughter wears the candle-wreath.
The crowning of a Swedish towns Lucia.
The modern tradition of having public processions in the Swedish cities started in 1927 when a newspaper in Stockholm elected an official Lucia for Stockholm that year. The initiative was then followed around the country through the local press. Today most cities in Sweden appoint a Lucia every year. Schools elect a Lucia and her maids among the students and a national Lucia is elected on national television from regional winners. The regional Lucias will visit shopping malls, old people's homes and churches, singing and handing out pepparkakor (gingerbread).
There are now also boys in the procession, playing different roles associated with Christmas. Some may be dressed in the same kind of white robe, but with a cone-shaped hat decorated with golden stars, called stjärngossar (star boys); some may be dressed up as "tomtenissar", carrying lanterns; and some may be dressed up as gingerbread men. They participate in the singing and also have a song or two of their own, usually Staffan Stalledräng, which tells the story about Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, caring for his five horses.
Lucia bun, made with saffron.
A traditional kind of bun, Lussekatt ("St. Lucia Bun"), made with saffron, is normally eaten on this day.
Although St. Lucia's Day is not an official holiday in Sweden, it is a popular occasion in Sweden. The evening and night before (so called "Lusse-vigil") The Lucia Day is a notoriously noisy time. High school students often celebrate by partying all through the night. At many universities, students hold big formal dinner parties since this is the last chance to celebrate together before most students go home to their families for Christmas.
The Swedish lyrics to the Neapolitan song Santa Lucia have traditionally been either Natten går tunga fjät (The Night walks with heavy steps) or Santa Lucia, ljusklara hägring (Saint Lucy, bright mirage). There is also a modern version with easier text for children: Ute är mörkt och kallt (Outside it's dark and cold).
In 2008 there was some controversy over males as Lucia, with one male who was elected Lucia at a high school being blocked from performing, and another performing together with a female.[1][2] In another case a six year old boy was not allowed to appear with a Lucia crown because the school couldn't guarantee his safety.[3]
[edit] Finland
The Finnish celebrations have been historically tied to Swedish culture and the Finland-Swedes. The first records of St. Lucy celebrations in Finland are from 1898, and the first large celebrations came in 1930, a couple of years after the popularization of the celebrations in Sweden. The St. Lucy of Finland has been elected since 1949 and she is crowned in the Helsinki Cathedral. Local St.Lucy's are elected in almost every place where there is a Swedish populace in Finland. The Finnish-speaking population has also lately begun to embrace the celebrations.[4]
[edit] Denmark
Danish girls in the Lucia procession at a Helsingør public school, 2001
In Denmark, the Day of Lucia (Luciadag) was first celebrated on December 13, 1944. The tradition was directly imported from Sweden by initiative of Franz Wend, secretary of Föreningen Norden, as an attempt "to bring light in a time of darkness”. Implicitly it was meant as a passive protest against German occupation during the Second World War but it has been a tradition ever since.
Although the tradition is imported from Sweden, it differs somewhat in that the celebration has always been strongly centered on Christianity and it is a yearly local event in most churches in conjunction with Christmas. Schools and kindergartens also use the occasion to mark the event as a special day for children on one of the final days before the Christmas holidays, but it does not have much impact anywhere else in society.
There are also a number of additional historical traditions connected with the celebration, which are not widely observed. The night before candles are lit and all electrical lights are turned off, and on the Sunday closest to December 13 Danes traditionally attend church.
The Danish versions of the Neapolitan song clearly reflect its close connection to Christianity. The best known version is Holger Lissners version from 1982, Sankta Lucia.
Saint Lucy's Day is celebrated also in the Faroe Islands.
[edit] Norway
The Lussinatt, the night of December 13, was largely forgotten in Norway at the beginning of the 20th century, though still remembered as an ominous night, and also celebrated in some remote areas. It was not until after World War II that the modern celebration of Lucia in Norway was imported from Sweden, and became adopted on a larger scale. It is now again observed all over the country.
Like the Swedish tradition, and unlike the Danish, Lucia is largely a secular event in Norway, and is observed in kindergartens and schools (often through secondary level). However, it has in recent years also been incorporated in the Advent liturgy in the Church of Norway. The boys are often incorporated in the procession, staging as magi with tall hats and star-staffs, and sometimes as nisses. Occasionally, anthems of Saint Stephen are taken in on behalf of the boys.
For the traditional observance of the day, school children form processions through the hallways of the school building carrying candles, and hand out lussekatt buns. While rarely observed at home, parents often take time off work to watch these school processions in the morning, and if their child should be chosen Lucia, or Lucia-bride, it is considered a great honor. Later on in the day, the procession usually visits retirement homes, hospitals, and nursing homes in the neighborhood.
[edit] Saint Lucia
In Saint Lucia, a tiny island in the Caribbean named after its patroness saint, St. Lucy, December 13 is known as Festival of Lights to honor St. Lucy Saint of Light. In this celebration, a tree is lit with decorative candles and crowds of people gather to watch. This is also to commemorate Christmas and the Christmas tree.
[edit] Italy
St. Lucia is the patron saint of the city of Syracuse (Sicily), where she was born. Celebrations take place on the 13th of December and in May. St. Lucy is also popular among children in some regions of North-Eastern Italy, namely Trentino, East Lombardy (Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona and Mantua), parts of Veneto, (Verona), parts of Emilia-Romagna, (Piacenza, Parma and Reggio Emilia), and all of Friuli, where she brings gifts to good children and coal to bad ones. Children are asked to leave some food for Lucia (a sandwich, or anything else available at the moment) and for the flying donkey that helps her carry gifts of flour, sugar, or salt. They must not watch Santa Lucia delivering these gifts, or she will throw ashes in their eyes, temporarily blinding them. In Sicily and among the Sicilian diaspora, cuccìa is eaten in memory of Saint Lucy's miraculous averting of famine.
[edit] Malta
Santa Luċija is the patron saint of the islands of Mtarfa (Malta) and Santa Luċija (Gozo) in the Mediterranean. On the 13th December Malta also celebrates Republic Day.
[edit] United States
Girl with electric candles at a Lucia celebration in Minnesota
In the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), which is the successor church to hundreds of Scandinavian and German Lutheran congregations, St. Lucia is treated as a commemoration on December 13, in which red vestments are worn. Usually, the Sunday in Advent closest to December 13 is set aside for St. Lucia, in which the traditional Scandinavian procession is observed.
[edit] Origins
St. Lucy/Lucia is one of few saints celebrated by the overwhelmingly Lutheran Scandinavian peoples (Danes, Swedes, Finns and Norwegians). The St. Lucy's Day celebrations retain many indigenous Germanic pagan, pre-Christian midwinter elements, and the practices associated with the day, predates the adoption of Christianity in Scandinavia, and is like much of Scandinavian folklore, and even religiosity today, based on the annual struggle between light and darkness.
The Nordic observation of St. Lucy is first attested in the Middle Ages, and continued after the Protestant Reformation in the 1520s and 1530s, although the modern celebration is only about 200 years old. It is likely that tradition owes its popularity in the Nordic countries to the extreme change in daylight hours between the seasons in this region.
The pre-Christian holiday of Yule, or jól, was the most important holiday in Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Originally the observance of the winter solstice, and the rebirth of the sun, it brought about many practices that remain in the Advent and Christmas celebrations today. The Yule season was a time for feasting, drinking, gift-giving, and gatherings, but also the season of awareness and fear of the forces of the dark.
[edit] Lussi
Lussinatta, the Lussi Night, was December 13, and by the unreformed Julian calendar, the longest night of the year, coinciding with Winter Solstice. Then Lussi, a female being with evil traits, like a female demon or witch, was riding through the air with her followers, called Lussiferda. This itself might be an echo of the myth of the Wild Hunt, called Oskoreia in Scandinavia, found across Northern, Western and Central Europe.
Between Lussi Night and Yule, trolls and evil spirits, in some accounts also the spirits of the dead, were thought to be active outside. It was particularly dangerous to be out during Lussi Night. Children who had done mischief had to take special care, since Lussi could come down through the chimney and take them away, and certain tasks of work in the preparation for Yule had to be finished, or else the Lussi would come to punish the household. The tradition of Lussevaka – to stay awake through the Lussinatt to guard oneself and the household against evil, has found a modern form through throwing parties until daybreak. Another company of spirits might come riding through the night around Yule itself, journeying through the air, over land and water.
It is tempting to look at Father Christmas’ journey with his reindeer as a commercial relic inspired by this superstition.
[edit] St. Lucy/Lucia
Statue of St. Lucy at Saint Leonard of Port Maurice Church in the North End of Boston
Main article: Saint Lucy
Although no sources of her life exist other than in hagiographies, St. Lucy is believed to have been a Sicilian saint who suffered a martyr's death in Syracuse, Sicily around AD 310.[5] The Guilte Legende, a widespread and influential compendium of saint's biographies compiled in the late Middle Ages, records her story thus: She was seeking help for her mother's long-term illness at the shrine of Saint Agnes, in her native Sicily, when an angel appeared to her in a dream beside the shrine. As a result of this, Lucy became a devout Christian, refused to compromise her virginity in marriage and was denounced to the Roman authorities by the man she would have wed. They threatened to drag her off to a brothel if she did not renounce her Christian beliefs, but were unable to move her, even with a thousand men and fifty oxen pulling. So they stacked materials for a fire around her instead and set light to it, but she would not stop speaking, insisting that her death would lessen the fear of it for other Christians and bring grief to non-believers. One of the soldiers stuck a spear through her throat to stop these denouncements, but to no effect. Soon afterwards, the Roman consulate in charge was hauled off to Rome on charges of theft from the state and beheaded. Saint Lucy was able to die only when she was given the Christian sacrement.[6]
In another story, Saint Lucy was working to help Christians hiding in the catacombs during the terror under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, and in order to bring with her as many supplies as possible, she needed to have both hands free. She solved this problem by attaching candles to a wreath on her head.[attribution needed]
There is little evidence that the legend itself derives from the folklore of northern Europe, but the similarities in the names ("Lussi" and "Lucia"), and the date of her festival, December 13, suggest that two separate traditions may have been brought together in the modern-day celebrations in Scandinavia.
[edit] Notes
^ Boys blocked from bearing 'girls-only' Lucia crown The Local
^ Johan Gustafsson – med rätt att lussa Metro.se
^ Sexåringen, luciakronan och säkerheten Aftonbladet.se
^ Folkhälsan: Lucia – legend och historia.
^ Hamer, Richard. 2006. Guilte Legende. Oxford University Press for the Early English Text Society. Volume 1, p 25.
^ Hamer, Richard. 2006. Volume 1, pp 22–25.
[edit] References
Eriksson, Stig A. (2002). Christmas traditions and performance rituals: a look at Christmas celebrations in a Nordic context. 2002. Applied Theater Researcher. No. 3. 6/3
Nygaard, J. (1992). Teatrets historie i Europa ("~ History in Europe"). Volume 1. Oslo: Spillerom.
NRK radio (2002). Språkteigen. NRK radio. December 2002.
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Saint Lucy's Day
Nordisk Familjebok, article Lucia Nordisk Familjebok, 1912 (Swedish)
Catholic Culture: Memorial of St. Lucy, virgin and martyr
"A Nocturnal upon Saint Lucy's Day," poem by John Donne (1572–1631)
(Swedish) article Lucia in Nordisk familjebok (1912)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucy's_Day