St Lucia Day Celebrations

Photo by Henrik Trygg, Stockholm Visitors Board

Lucia, the festival/celebration of St Lucia, happens on December 13th and is, along with Midsummer, the most Swedish of holidays and most people have seen a picture at sometime of a young girl wearing a wreath of candles (Lucia). Basically, the celebration consists of a procession led by a candle wreathed young woman and followed by other young women (& men called stjärngossar) holding candles. Click here for video ("Lucia for Dummies"). They sing both Lucia songs as well as other Christmas carols. The traditional places where this procession happens is in Swedish homes on the morning of the 13th, where the procession is made up of the family's children, and in the evening at churches. Though these days you will find Lucia processions at different businesses, shopping malls and retirement centers throughout the country. Because of the popularity of Lucia, you need to purchase tickets to see the procession in most churches. If you are staying at the Rival Hotel, stop by and I will help you with tickets.

Lucia at Skansen www.sverigeslucia.se 

These church services, while traditional and beautiful, might be a little problematic for foreign visitors as there is a church sermon included in the celebration which is in Swedish. Another option, and a good one at that, is to visit Skansen, the open-air museum dedicated to Swedish culture and traditions. Here they will be celebrating Lucia for four days (Dec 13th to the 16th) with processions, historical reenactments and concerts. Click here for the schedule of events. Skansen also has a great Christmas market on Saturday and Sunday which you can combine with a Lucia concert this weekend. Skansen is located on the island of Djurgården and easy to get to from the Rival Hotel... with regular ferries (10 min trip) going from nearby Slussen.