Today is Lucia Day. Originally it is a Swedish tradition to celebrate Sancta Lucia with girls dressed in white and carrying candles walking in procession and singing. The tradition has spread from Sweden to the other Scandinavian countries but I wonder if it is known in other countries?
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Here is a wikipedia link so you can read about the traditio and its origin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucy's_Day
I have no idea why the Swedes in the Medieval Age bagan celebrating St. Lucia who lived in Rome about 14 centuries before. In Sweden the Lucia Day is a very big event and from early morning you see the so-called Lucia Brides everywhere. Typically for the Swedes their celebration of Lucia involves a considerable consume of alcohol but this is not the case here in Denmark where we do not need an occasion to have a good glass of Schnapps. Here celebrating the Lucia Day is typically done by schools and girls' choirs and it is because it is the children who are Lucia Brides and walk in procession with candles in hair and hands there is no alcohol involved.
@karinaal: Traditionally it was done to celebrate St. Lucia who brought food to early Christians that were hiding in caves. She wore the candles on her head to light the way.
@MasterDvdC: Not the caves but the catacombs in Rome. What I wonder is why the celebration of Saint Lucia became so big ceveral centuries later and in Sweden in teh high north.
@karinaal: Couldn't answer that one. But your right the tradition does say catacombs but most of the catacombs were constructed later than the Christian persecution.
