Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Dec. 13—St. Lucia day

Perhaps one of the more confused celebrations of the people of the north—Swedes celebrating a Sicilian Catholic saint from the pre-Reformation days.  However, the celebration is about light and food so it fits right into the Christmas / Advent traditions.  It is also a wonderful excuse to teach children how to sing.


From a 2009 St. Lucia concert at the Storkyrkan (the big royal cathedral in Stockholm) a performance of the Advent hymn Veni Veni Emmanuel.



Jul Jul Strålande Jul (sometimes thought of as the Swedish Silent Night) is sung at this Lucia concert at the Globe Theater of Stockholm.  Notice they left they ice in.



The days start getting longer any day now—the light will return!  Reason enough for those of us from the North to celebrate.

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