In fourth-century Sicily a young woman gave her dowry away to the poor and confessed herself a Christian. For this, she was accused of witchcraft and put to death. Swedish legend tells of a famine in medieval days. A glowing figure dressed in white, Saint Lucia came across a great lake in the province of Värmland, Sweden. She brought gifts of food to the starving people. These legends vary, but Lucia shines as a symbol of light and hope in them all.
hi...i m from south italy...we celebrated saint lucia with a procession of pilgrims bringing a statue...but i don t know why an italian saint is so popular in sweden
My theory is that all the saints were "popular" in the old days and that Lucia alone has kept her place since Swedish winter is so dark and she represents the return of the light. Lucia is celebrated close to the darkest period of the year, when nights in Stockholm are 18-20 hours, and in Northern Sweden the sun never rises. The symbology of the celebration is all about light and dark.
@Alduccio81 I've heard it's because they have so little sunlight in Sweden this time of year, they needed to adopt the custom of celebrating a saint from such a sunny location, and of course it fit well that there were so many candles also, and singing, because it is so uplifting during advent, before the light of Christ arrives on Christmas...
here's why Lucia is so important to swedes:
In fourth-century Sicily a young woman gave her dowry away to the poor and confessed herself a Christian. For this, she was accused of witchcraft and put to death. Swedish legend tells of a famine in medieval days. A glowing figure dressed in white, Saint Lucia came across a great lake in the province of Värmland, Sweden. She brought gifts of food to the starving people. These legends vary, but Lucia shines as a symbol of light and hope in them all.
KENNETHS1974 1 year ago
hi...i m from south italy...we celebrated saint lucia with a procession of pilgrims bringing a statue...but i don t know why an italian saint is so popular in sweden
Alduccio81 4 years ago
My theory is that all the saints were "popular" in the old days and that Lucia alone has kept her place since Swedish winter is so dark and she represents the return of the light. Lucia is celebrated close to the darkest period of the year, when nights in Stockholm are 18-20 hours, and in Northern Sweden the sun never rises. The symbology of the celebration is all about light and dark.
andreascrosboch 3 years ago
@Alduccio81 I've heard it's because they have so little sunlight in Sweden this time of year, they needed to adopt the custom of celebrating a saint from such a sunny location, and of course it fit well that there were so many candles also, and singing, because it is so uplifting during advent, before the light of Christ arrives on Christmas...
starphoto10 2 years ago