St John's C of E Primary School
"Use your God-given gifts to serve others." 1 Peter 4: 10
Santa Lucia 7.12.20
Choral Christmas
7th December 2020
Saint Lucy's Day, also called Lucia Day or the feast of Saint Lucy, is a Christian feast day on 13 December. It is a day which remembers Lucia of Syracuse who, according to legend, brought food and aid to Christians hiding in the Roman catacombs. She wore a candlelit wreath on her head to light her way and to leave her hands free to carry as much food as possible. It is often celebrated as a festival of light.
Saint Lucy's Day is celebrated most widely in Scandinavia, where Lucy is called Santa Lucia. She is represented as a lady in a white dress, and a red sash symbolising blood as she died helping others (a martyr), with a crown or wreath of candles on her head.
In Norway, Sweden and Swedish-speaking regions of Finland, songs are sung as girls dressed as Saint Lucy carry cookies and saffron buns in procession, which symbolizes bringing the Light of Christ into the world's darkness. On the 13th, Birmingham Cathedral also holds a service - you can watch it online this year.