In the early morning of December 13, one of the coldest and darkest days of the month, children bring saffron buns and coffee to their parents who are blissfully sleeping in bed. The children are dressed in white dresses– the boys with tall cone shaped hats and the girls with a wreath of candles on their head. There is a song that goes along with it as well.
The reality is a bit different of course. Most young kids don’t get up and bring treats to their parents at 6 am. In fact, getting them dressed up and baking the saffron buns is something that the mother usually does!
The story of Lucia has a bit of a dark past to it as well, as do many holidays and legends. Again, according to tradition:
St. Lucy consecrated her virginity to God, angering a suitor. She was reported to the Roman authorities and was eventually sentenced to death by fire. Although she miraculously survived the flames without harm, she was then fatally stabbed in the neck.
Nevertheless, despite the persecution, the activities and food associated with Santa Lucia continue to be celebrated as the beginning of the Christmas season in Scandinavia. One of my favorite chefs, Marcus Samuelsson, who is Ethiopian but was adopted by Swedes when he was a young boy, describes the food and celebration of that day when he was growing up in Sweden. The meatballs, herring, gravlax and of course pepparkakor (the gingersnaps) produced smells he still remembers with great fondness. My own family was not a big herring fan, but we did have meatballs, pepparkakor and saffron buns. Our breakfasts tended to be a bit later in the morning and our singing of Santa Lucia had much to be desired musically.
Still, the lights and the community that gathers around this day makes the darkness of winter much more tolerable. Happy Santa Lucia Day! No matter how you celebrate it, be sure and light some candles!