Lucia day is on the 13th December and it was one of my favourite days as a child. My mum recently reminded me of how I used to organise everything the day before to ensure both of my brothers were up to scratch. That meant singing practice, as well as ensuring our white gowns were ironed, battery driven candles working (we're not allowed the real ones of course) and that we had enough saffron buns and gingerbread biscuits. This needed to be done the evening before as you had to get up very early in the morning to wake up mum and dad with the singing before going to work and school. When a bit older my friends and I walked around in the village singing to neighbours. It was perfectly normal to see kids in white night gowns walking around the village in the dark, carrying candles, singing their heart out on that day. A quite a unique tradition and to a foreigner probably slightly weird, but equally beautiful.
At school it was the big thing as to who was going to be the school's Lucia. An honour mainly blonde girls would experience, a cruel competition. I do remember the year I was voted to be the village church Lucia. My blonde friend with the long hair who was the runner up was devastated and I was surprised, a girl with shoulder length copper hair. Not sure why but think it was to do with me being a very mature 13 year old, I offered her to take my place but she refused so in the end it was me who proudly walked down the aisle with the crown of candles on my head, bringing hope to my fellow gingers. Admittedly, ginger wasn't as cool as blonde so it was a tiny bit of revenge going on there in the church. In fact, I've had loads of free haircuts out of it i.e. as hairdressers always ooh aah over my hair. Of course I didn't like it until my late teens as in the 80s you're supposed to be blonde and/or have highlights, something my hairdresser refused to do to me... but I'm digressing.
As with traditions, some things certainly need to change and move on but I hope the essence of what Lucia is about (even if it was an Italian Catholic saint, probably with very lovely dark hair, who happened to become the most important saint in a very Northern protestant country... don't ask), which is to bring light into darkness, and as cheesy as it sounds I do believe this world does need a bit more light. And the Swedes certainly do in the month of December.
Unknown Lucia at the Swedish Church today.
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