Liverpool International Nordic Community
125 Years - Gustaf Adolf Kyrka Church
St Lucia
Join the 2011 Swedish festival
of light at Liverpool Cathedral
Welcome, Lucia!
The Swedish tradition of St Lucia is again celebrated in Liverpool Cathedral. We can’t think of any location where it could be done in more splendour. To see and hear some of the best Swedish girls' choirs together with the Girls' Voices from the Cathedral fills us with pride and it is so wonderful that we may share this, one of the most beautiful, Swedish traditions with the people of Liverpool.
So where does this tradition come from?
In old times the night between the 12 and 13 December was believed to be the longest night of the Julian calendar. In darkness all evil was believed to have its' greatest power and so all the work before Christmas was supposed to be finished, otherwise it could be destroyed by the evil forces. You stayed awake to be able to defend yourself and you ate and drank a lot to keep your strength up. Also the animals were locked in and given extra food. Light was what you needed to overpower the evil. There are very old traditions of songs from these times, especially the songs of Staffan, St Stephen, and also songs of longing for the great light, the birth of Jesus Christ.
So who is St Lucia and what has she to do with this?
St Lucia is a Sicilian saint and she is celebrated on the 13 December. This was the day she was executed 304 AD. The name Lucia has to do with lux light. There are many different legends about her and in all of them she is executed for her faith. Like all saints she was important when Sweden was a Catholic country. But no one knows how the Swedish tradition of the girl in white with candles in her hair actually came about.
But why her crown of candles?
One of the legends tells about this young secretly Christian girl who, when all Christians were persecuted, tried to help her fellow Christians, who were hiding in the catacombs of Rome. In the dark of the night she slipped out and brought them food and to be able to carry as much as possible she put her candles on her head and got both hands free to carry. Maybe the same applied when the Lucia appeared in Sweden in the eighteenth century. She was supposed to come early in the morning and to bring a tray with breakfast in bed to her masters... The white dress of Lucia is a sign of purity and the red sash worn today symbolises that St Lucia was executed by the sword.
Why is the tradition still so strong in our secularised times?
We think we still need light in our lives. December is still a very dark month in Sweden, we long for Christmas and Lucia in a way a forbearer of the message of light and goodness to all men. Many of the beautiful songs of Lucia that we hear tonight are some of the most beloved songs we have. The tradition to celebrate Lucia in the old way started to fade towards the end of the nineteenth century when people left the rural areas and moved into cities. It was a newspaper in Stockholm that thought it was a pity to see the old tradition die out. They had a competition to elect a Lucia for all of Sweden, a little bit like a beauty contest, in 1927. It turned out to be a great success and the tradition of Lucia has grown stronger ever since. The custom spread over the country and most villages have today an elected Lucia of their own. And it is not the beauty queen we celebrate. There is today an emphasis on the music and singing and the symbol of goodness. There are collections for good causes and an outreach to people in need. Every year the Swedish Lucia, with two attendants, also travels to Syracuse in Sicily and takes part in the official celebrations of the original saint.
St Lucia
celebration, Saturday 1o December 2011,
with the participation of
