The special Scandinavian Christmas celebration in memory of a saint

Photo: HRH Crown Princess Victoria, Royal Court, Sweden

The 13th of December is St. Lucia’s Day, traditionally celebrated in the holiday season. While it is a less popular holiday in the United Kingdom and North America, it is still widely celebrated in Scandinavia and Northern Italy.

Like many other Scandinavian families, the Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian royal families all observe St. Lucia’s Day in December. 

St. Lucia’s Day (also known as St. Lucy’s Day) is celebrated on 13th December. Lucia of Syracuse was a fourth-century martyr known for bringing food and supplies to Christians in hiding. Her crown of lights is specific to her – she wore a wreath of candles on her head to bring light to those hidden in the Roman catacombs and keep her hands free. 

In modern St. Lucia’s Day celebrations, a girl (typically the eldest girl in the family) dresses in a white robe with a wreath of candles on her head and serves coffee and baked goods to the family and visitors. In communities and churches, a girl is elected to serve as Lucia for the bigger group, which is considered a notable honour. The elected Lucia will visit seniors’ homes and schools to give baking to the young and old. 

The Scandinavian royal families all regularly take part in St. Lucia’s Day celebrations. In Sweden, Crown Princess Victoria took part as a child, playing the Lucia herself with a young Prince Carl Philip helping. 

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The Crown Princess has passed on her wreath to her children. Her daughter Princess Estelle, with help from Prince Oscar, was the Lucia in 2018, complete with a wreath of lights and baked goods.