Santa Lucia Day in DK

Subject: Santa Lucia Day in DK Fri Dec 07, 2007 1:47 am

Santa Lucia Day in DK.

I can see that I've made a topic about it, too. I just thought I wrote it into the calendar.

The date is Dec. the 13th. I'll tell you about it later as it's such a nice tradition we have.

Guest

¡Santa Lucia is Espanish!

¿Why en Dinamarca/Denmark?

Guest

What kind of celabration is that? confused

Subject: Re: Santa Lucia Day in DK Sun Dec 09, 2007 5:30 pm

Santa Lucia Day is celebrated in many institutions (kindergartens, schools, hospitals and nursery homes) all over the countries. Each school/kindergarten has it's own Santa Lucia procession. I think the processions at hospitals and nursery homes for elderly people are girl scouts (or something like that). A young girl is chosen to be the Santa Lucia bride. She is dressed in a long white dress, has an Advent wreath with 4 lighted candles on her head and another candle between her folded hands. After her in the procession come her maids. They are other young (or smaller girls) also dressed in white dress' and with a candle in their folded hands each. They walk around while they sing the Santa Lucia song. Sometimes they also bring warm cocoa and bread to the pupils/patients or elderly people - but not in all cases. While they walk around and sing the Santa Lucia song all electric light are switched off. The only light you see is the light from the candles.

I'll see if I can translate the Santa Lucia song for you later. And perhaps give you the recipe for special Santa Lucia bread to eat.

Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you the story behind the Santa Lucia tradition! It came to us from Italy via Sweden (already in 1860 a British tourist was witness to a Santa Lucia procession in Sweden). The legend tells us about a young, girl from Syracuse in Italy called Lucia. Her parents were rich and heathens and they wanted her to marry a heathen man. Her mother was very ill and when she was well again the girl was so grateful that she wanted to give away her wealths to poor people. But her fiance forbid her to do it and when she did it anyway he denounced her as being a Christen girl. She was arrested and going to be sent to a brothel. When they came to fetch her to send her to the brothel she stood as nailed to the floor and they couldn't move her. She was killed as a martyr with a sword and later elected as a saint.

Subject: Re: Santa Lucia Day in DK Tue Dec 11, 2007 1:29 pm

Here is the text to the Santa Lucia song (I'll translate it later):

Santa Lucia

Nu bæres lyset frem
stolt på din krone
rundt om i hus og hjem
sangen skal tone
nu på Lucia-dag hilser vort vennelag Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia

Her ved vor ønskefest
sangen skal klinge
gaver til hver en gæst
glad vil du bringe
skænk os af lykkens væld
lige til livets kvæld
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia

I'll try to make the song look better later!

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