SANTA LUCIA DAY

Santa Lucia Day is celebrated on December 13 through Scandinavia and also parts of Italy, eastern Europe, and the United States and Canada.

This celebration is closely tied to the Winter Solstice, and in the old Julian calendar would have fallen on the Solstice.  When the Gregorian calendar was adopted it corrected an eight day error in the Julian calendar which placed the solstice later in the month. The celebration of Saint Lucy's day however, stayed on December 13.

On this day young girls don wreaths of light to foreshadow the return of the light on the Solstice, but more importantly, to foreshadow the coming of the light of Christ's birth on Christmas. Current celebrations include food and song, as Lucia, attended by maidens and star-boys, illuminates the space with new light.

Santa Lucia day is celebrated each year at the American Swedish Institute here in Minneapolis as depicted in these photos.


***Do you celebrate Santa Lucia day in your area?