Happy Lucia!

Today we celebrate one of the most beloved Swedish traditions – perhaps also one of the most odd-looking. 😍

On 13 December, the traditional Lucia songs can be heard in countless corners of the country – in churches, schools and workplaces.
At the heart of it is Lucia, the bearer of light in the Swedish winter darkness. She leads a singing procession of candle-carrying handmaidens and ‘star boys’, all dressed in white gowns.

The Lucia celebration also includes gingerbread biscuits and sweet, saffron-flavoured buns shaped like curled-up cats and with raisin eyes. Often served with Swedish mulled wine (‘glögg’) or coffee.

The Lucia tradition can be traced back both to the martyr St Lucia of Syracuse, who died in 304, and to the Swedish legend of Lucia as Adam’s first wife