Saint Lucia in Sweden

Dec 13 is Saint Lucia day in Sweden, where each town's voted "Sankta Lucia" wears a crown of candles and, escorted by girls in white with a red sash and "star boys" brings light and song (and saffron buns!) to homes and workplaces.

Details - This was filmed in Sweden in 2002.
The lady in the middle is on YouTube as emmajohannesson
The lady 2nd from the left end is hannadabbour.

I DID NOT APPEAR IN NOR FILM THIS - It was sent to me many years ago and I do not, unfortunately, know of its source.

Lyrics in Swedish:
Sankta Lucia, ljusklara hägring,
sprid i vår vinternatt glans av din fägring.
||: Drömmar med vingesus under oss sia,
tänd dina vita ljus, Sankta Lucia. :||

Kom i din vita skrud, huld med din maning.
Skänk oss, du julens brud, julfröjders aning.
||: Drömmar med vingesus, under oss sia,
tänd dina vita ljus, Sankta Lucia. :||


English (sorry it's a bit of a poor translation):
Saint Lucia, bright clear mirage,
spread in our winter splendor of your beauty.
| |: Dreams with wings rustling, over us prophesy,
light your white candles, Santa Lucia. : | |

Get your white robe, gracious with your call.
Give us, you Christmas Bride, an idea of Christmas.
| |: Dreams with wings rustling over us prophesy,
light your white candles, Santa Lucia. : | |

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[Par N]

Originally a Christian hymn from Sicily , probably " borrowed" by Swedish sailors . But the ceremony with the lit candles comes from an ancient pagan Swedish ritual .

[Thjatte]

I´m born on Dec 13, this is a song that i think is attached to me, and i love it

[Busterbanjo]

It is no "happy hymn". :-) But that´s exactly what culture is about, giving and taking. Many Swedish songs are played in other countries and why not, culture belongs to everyone. E.g. the Italian culture has a lot to thank the Ancient Greeks... :-)

[seidimano1]

Santa Lucia e' una canzone Italiana che parla del borgo di S. Lucia a Napoli.Parla de la gente di mare che viveva all'epoca in quella zona.Non centra nulla ne' con la festivita' della Santa ne' con la tradizione Siciliana e nemmeno con la Svezia.A lei le sembra normale che venga presa la música di una vecchia canzone e trasformarla in un altra lingua per farne un inno festivo?

[Busterbanjo]

There are more Lucia-songs than this one. People have always borrowed songs from one another and the tradition of Lucia is much older than this song. It has nothing to do with any nationalism. Everywhere Lucia is celebrated, towns, schools, kindergarten(!).. She is the bringer of light at the darkest time of the year. And almost everybody knows she was a Sicilian Saint...

[Busterbanjo]

And because they are beautiful...

[Beatles0223]

Santa Lucia is Neopolitan, not Sicilian.

[seidimano1]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo e' impossibile.Ma come si fa' a fare una cover cosi e spacciarlo per un canto natalizio.Ma dove e' finita la dignita'?

[tfe423]

Very nice , but if this was in America I very much doubt that the young lady would be permitted to wear candles on her head , also the other girls would be holding flashlights . Because of liability and insurance and all that

[PaquitoRoad]

Neapolitan authors Cottrau and Longo, Italian lyrics, A.D. 1835.

(See wikipedia "Santa Lucia").

[martin auinger]

my mother (she´s from Austria) worked in Uppsala in 1953 and on Dec 13 she listened to this song. for me it is very very touching and moving to now hear the song that she was listening 60 years ago.