The Joy of St Lucy Day
As a Catholic convert, one of the things I’ve loved is learning about Catholic traditions. As a mom, I’ve really enjoyed learning about these traditions with my children, especially during the holidays. One of the traditions that our family has adopted during Advent is celebrating St. Lucy’s Day on December 13th.
Discovering St. Lucy
I first learned about St. Lucy from the American Girl books when I was a little girl, long before I became a Catholic. Kirsten’s Surprise by Janet Shaw is about a family from Sweden who recently immigrated to the United States. It’s 1854, and they hope to celebrate St. Lucy’s Day, but a blizzard almost ruins their plans. I remember thinking as a child how pretty Kirsten looked on the cover. Little did I know it foreshadowed a tradition I would one day celebrate with my children!
St. Lucy—or Lucia—is often associated with Sweden, but did you know she was Italian? She lived during the fourth century, so Christians were still persecuted and had to practice their faith secretly. She had a special devotion to St. Agatha, another Italian saint, because St. Lucy’s mother was healed on a pilgrimage to St. Agatha’s tomb. St. Lucy was martyred for her faith because she wanted to be a bride of Christ and refused to get married. Legend has it that St. Lucy’s eyes were gouged out during her martyrdom, and she is often depicted as holding her eyes on a plate. She is also shown wearing a wreath with candles on her head because she would go down into the catacombs during the Roman persecutions. The candles would help her see while carrying supplies to the Christians hiding below.
St Lucy customs are particularly strong in Sweden, a country with long, dark winters. In Sweden, the people believe St. Lucy came to the shores of Sweden clothed in white and crowned with light during a great famine to aid the people. St. Lucy is considered the bearer of light during the darkness of winter. Candles are often associated with her feast day. The Saints Alive podcast does an excellent retelling of St. Lucy’s story for children. Be aware that the podcast does describe her martyrdom, though not in great detail. So you may want to use discretion with younger children.
St. Lucy Day Customs
St. Lucy’s feast day is traditionally celebrated by making St. Lucy buns, which usually contain saffron. However, as saffron isn’t common in most kitchens, we use this braided bread recipe from Catholic Cuisine. Any sweet bun recipe will do, or even doughnuts!
The oldest daughter in the family dresses up as St. Lucy. She serves the St. Lucy buns to her family early before dawn. St. Lucy wears a white dress to symbolize her virginity and a red sash to symbolize her martyrdom. She also has a crown of greenery with candles on her head. I wouldn’t recommend real candles (or at least I wouldn’t light real candles). However, there are plenty of electric candles today. Or you can simply make a paper crown. Any other daughters in the family wear white dresses with white tinsel.
The boys in the family also wear white and have white pointed hats with stars. They are called starboys and are associated with the three wise men. You can also share your St. Lucy buns with your family and friends. If you need inspiration, the book Lucia Morning in Sweden by Ewa Rydaker provides a solid template demonstrating how a family living in Sweden celebrates St. Lucy’s Day.
St. Lucy’s Day has become an enjoyable tradition in our family. My children look forward to making the buns, dressing up, and waking up before Mom and Dad. Now that I have an older daughter, I appreciate breakfast in bed! Celebrating St. Lucy’s feast day is a great way to add more Catholic traditions to your home this Advent. And if you need more prompting, here are some photos of our delicious braided bread to get your mouth watering…
