Lucia is a lighted candle in the winter darkness of Sweden. According to legend, Santa Lucia was a Christian maiden who lived in Italy and died a martyr`s death in the year 304. The tradition of celebrating Lucia is said to originate in Germany.
The tradition and ritual of Santa Lucia and Christmas are deeply ingrained in the lives of the people of Sweden. This can be partially explained by the seasons´dramatic progression from the late summer days of September to winter´s and Christmas´ great festivity. In spite of people´s longing for the light days (and nights) of summer, the arrival of darkness is celebrated with these two December feasts. With almost religious fervor, we interpret the Lucia pageant as the victory of light over darkness. The young girl in her white gown, with a crown of candles on her head and a candle in hand, is the personification of light. She herself become the symbol of warmth and light in the midwinter darkness.
Yet, without darkness there is no light. Our fascination with the mystery and mysticism of darkness is great. In darkness there is peace and quiet, silence and stillness, and time for thought and reflection. This is a part of the explanation of the power of the Lucia festival in our lives. Lucia and Christmas are most definitely living traditions. The food, drink, clothes and music are our way of being reminded of all the associations of Lucia and Christmas. Music, of course, plays a particularly important role in the observation of these festivities. Christmas carols are international and sung all around the world. The surprisingly rich repertoire of Lucia is curiously enough a solely Swedish phenomenon; a national treasure and national secret! Lucia is celebrated almost exclusively in Sweden (or in other places by Swedes).