The Christmas I was seven remains one of the most magical and memorable of my life. I can still picture opening the box and seeing my favorite American Girl doll, Kirsten, staring at me with glossy blue eyes and shiny looped braids. At some point in my childhood, I had been told that my great-great-grandparents were Swedish, which sparked my attachment to the American Girl doll Kirsten Larson.
The American Girl books were one of the first series I read, and until roughly the age of twelve, I collected a wardrobe and accessories inspired by the stories of this young Swedish immigrant to America—including her Saint Lucia attire. Complete with a green headwreath of candles and a tray of saffron buns, Kirsten’s Lucia dress marks my earliest memory of learning about a saint other than Patrick. For many years, I pictured Saint Lucia (or Saint Lucy as she is more commonly known) exactly as Kirsten appeared in her book: white gown, red sash, and glowing crown of candles.
Given my rich Swedish heritage, I was surprised to learn that Saint Lucia was not from Sweden at all but from Syracuse, Italy—a fact that also startled my daughter when I told her last week. Saint Lucy’s story shares features common to many young Christian women in the early centuries of the church. She was a devout believer who refused to marry a Roman pagan and as a result, was martyred on December 13th, 304 CE. Over time, various stories have been told of her torture by the Romans, including gouging out her eyes. There are also stories of her compassionately caring for Christians under threat of persecution by bringing light and food to their hiding places in the catacombs. She is now considered a patron saint of the blind, diseases of the eye, and throat infections.
How her story traveled north to the Scandinavian parts of Europe is unclear, but its impact is deeply embedded in the culture. For over 1,500 years, December 13th (the Feast Day of Saint Lucy) was also the longest night of the year. For those closer to the Arctic Circle, a celebration of light offered a hopeful marker in the turning of the seasons. Young girls dressed in white with candles on their heads would deliver saffron-infused sweet rolls and gingerbread to family and friends, infusing warmth in the form of light and spices. Remarkably, this celebration survived the Reformation, even as the Lutheran Church took root in Scandinavia after the 1500s. It was also in the 1500s that one of the many Pope Gregory reformed the calendar, shifting much of the Western world from the Julian calendar to a more astronomically accurate one.
This adjustment was meant to align the calendar more closely with the Earth’s orbit around the sun. As a result, the winter solstice—once fixed on December 13th—moved to the 20th-22nd. While the 13th was no longer the longest night, it remained a celebration of light in many parts of Scandinavia. My space-obsessed son was definitely more interested in the astronomical calendar correction than the martyrs and popes.
During Advent, we light a series of candles, three purple or blue and one pink, each holding significance as we draw closer to Christmas. It seems fitting, then, to pause in this season and wonder about the example of Saint Lucia, a bringer of light in ways both literal and metaphorical. Hailing as I do from both Scandinavian stock and living close to the northern border of the United States, I find deep comfort in candlelight. A single flame can brighten a room with far more comfort than an electric bulb, and the twinkle lights we hang on trees and houses offer a joy entirely different from the glow of our screens. Firelight invites us to gather close, while dancing northern lights light our eyes in awe.
What has come into being in [God] was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. —John 1:4-5, NRSV
Saint Lucy is an inspiration to live in the light of Christ, from the name which means “light” to the celebrations of light in her honor, to her desire to live and die as a follower of Christ.
If you would like some ideas to celebrate today’s feast day, consider:
- Bake Saint Lucia buns
- Have dinner by candlelight
- Take a Christmas lights tour
- Build gingerbread houses
- Learn about solstice celebrations from different cultures
Discover more from Grow Christians
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.