![]() |
Lucia processions in Sweden (source: Wikipedia) |
![]() |
Traditional Swedish Lussekatter (source: DollarPhotoClub.com) |
If you
visit Sweden on this very date, you are bound to witness Lucia processions
throughout the day. Each procession is led by a young girl with a crown of
lights; they used to be candles, but for practical reasons electric ones are more popular. The
procession then includes Lucia girls and boy attendants. Their number vary but each one carries a candle or light in their hands. The name Lucia originates
from the Latin lux or lucis and means “the light one”. They
are the bearers of light, and this is possibly one reason why Lucia is so
popular – in deep winter daylight is scarce, in the north of Sweden people have
daylight for only around four hours every day, sometimes less.
The Lucia girls and boys are dressed in white and sing Christmas songs for everyone watching, including the Santa Lucia, which originates from Italy. They also bring Lussekatter ("Lucia buns" often made with saffron) and other traditional cookies with them for everyone to enjoy.
Lucia everywhere
At home,
those with children will often have a mini procession in the morning to wake up
dad and others. In schools, there are usually processions with volunteer
pupils, and most companies, eldercare centers, hospitals and other public
facilities arrange Lucia processions to put everyone in a festive mood. Some
processions turn into concerts in churches and other public venues.
At idioma
in Gothenburg, there is also an annual Lucia procession, however, this year
because Lucia is on a Saturday, the procession was instead held on December 10,
and the people there are now in a festive Christmas mood....so let's better get back to our translation and localization business :)
Shane O'Mara's shaneomara.com https://www.shaneomara.com/ research focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying cognition, emotion, and behavior. His work involves using advanced brain imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electrophysiology to study brain activity in both humans and animals.
ReplyDelete