Viking Magazine - December 2011 - 13

" In the 18th and 19th
centuries, a custom developed
at Swedish farms to dress a
young girl as an angel on Lucia
Day, serving the early morning
lussebit dressed in a white gown,
[with] a wreath with candles
on her head, " say Tessem and
Wiedswang. " The costume was
a copy of the German Kristkindlein-a
competitor to the Catholic
gift-bringer St. Nicholas. "
This custom remained in
Swedish homes until the Swedish
temperance movement
latched onto the Lucia celebration
in the 1920s and brought
it into the public square.
Sweden held its fi rst public St.
Lucia's Day procession-and
elected its fi rst national Lucia-
in Stockholm in 1927.
" Local chambers of commerce
in the towns transformed
the tradition and arranged
competitions among girls to be
elected Lucia and participate in
the Lucia parade, " say Tessem
and Wiedswang. " This was
also common in Norway. "
While Norwegians no longer
elect a national Lucia, Swedish
girls still vie for the candlelit
crown each year in a popular
televised event.
That fi rst parade also gave
Lucia her song. " [It was] based
on the Italian song that referred
to an Italian fi shing village
called Santa Lucia, " say Tessem
and Wiedswang. " It was given
a new text and it is this song
the kids sing today. "
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Though Norwegians have enjoyed
Lucia celebrations-albeit
to a much lesser extent than in
Sweden-since the middle of the
20th century, in the 1980s the
day took hold among Norway's
littlest inhabitants.
In the weeks leading up to
December 13, children in Norway's
barnehager (preschools),
and in lower elementary grades
prepare for St. Lucia Day by
learning the traditional song.
They bake lussekatter (Lucia
cats) and practice parading
through the schools.
" On the actual day, the
kindergartens and preschools
welcome parents for a breakfast
with No. 1 on the program
being the Lucia parade with the
little kids, " says Bente Andersen
Sundlo, an Oslo resident
who celebrated the festival
as a child and with her own
children. " They are dressed in
white robes with red ribbon
or glitter garland waist bands.
The girls have glitter garlands
in the hair, and the boys have
pointed hats decorated with
golden stars. The girls are
called 'maids' and the boys
'star boys.' In their hands they
have lighted candles. "
The star of the parade is the
oldest girl, who gets to play
St. Lucia. Today, her crown of
candles is usually battery operated,
and she leads the procession
around her school.
Children's choirs in Norway
also may visit nursing homes
or hospitals where they sing
and hand out lussekatter to the
residents or patients.
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Today many ScandinavianAmericans
continue to keep St.
Lucia Day with a traditional
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Viking Magazine - December 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Viking Magazine - December 2011
