St Lucy's Day

Origin and history

Lucy (Lucia) of Syracuse in Sicily was a young Christian who died as a martyr in 304, during the persecution under Diocletian. According to legend she carried food to Christians hiding in the catacombs of Rome, wearing a wreath of candles on her head to light her way so that both hands were free. Her name means 'light', and before calendar reform her feast fell on the longest night of the year, so it became a festival of light pointing towards Christmas. John Donne wrote a poem, 'A Nocturnal upon S. Lucy's Day, Being the Shortest Day'.

Customs

• In Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, girls in white dresses with red sashes and crowns of candles lead processions, singing and carrying cookies and saffron buns. The first modern Scandinavian celebration was held in 1928 at the Skansen open-air museum in Stockholm.
• Boys join the processions too, dressed as Saint Stephen, gingerbread men or other Christmas figures.
• Saint Lucy is especially honoured in Sicily and other parts of Italy, in Dalmatia in Croatia, and on the island nation of Saint Lucia.

How traditions differ

Saint Lucy is honoured in the Catholic Church, and her day is celebrated in both Catholic and Protestant churches; in Scandinavia it is above all a festival of light.

In the library

Great Lives: John Donne

More in Advent

St Andrew's Day · Advent · St Nicholas Day