Sat, Dec 13, 2025 – Lucia Celebration of Light

The Jul season will be ushered in by our Lucia, followed by her attendants and star boys.  The youth will sing Swedish songs, and the well loved Swedish chorus, the Zaida Singers, will perform Scandinavian music in four-part harmony.  After the program, everyone is invited for cookies, punch, coffee, glögg, dancing around the Christmas tree, and shopping at the Julbutik.

The History of Lucia

In prehistoric Sweden, the longest and darkest night of the year, the winter solstice, was seen as a very dangerous night, with evil powers at their strongest. To prevent bad things from happening to the farm or its animals, people held watch through the night. This watch often included young people traveling from farm to farm, hammering on the door, singing a brief song, and then being given liquor and food as thanks. In the old calendar, this day fell on December 13.

When Christianity took over Sweden, each day in the calendar was given a saint. The one for December 13 was Saint Lucia. She was an Italian Christian martyr and her name means “light.”

The old heathen tradition with its drinking was not popular among the priests, but rather than forbidding the custom, they gave Saint Lucia a more important role in the celebrations.

The Lucia we are familiar with today seems to have originated in the late 18th century in western Sweden, with a young woman dressed in white with candles in her hair, bringing light into the dark morning and something to eat.

Star boys have their roots in medieval nativity play centered on the Three Wise Men, or Three Magi, being guided by a star to Bethlehem. That’s why they wear wizard’s hats with gold stars on them. In the 19th century, the Star boy tradition merged with the St. Stephen’s Day tradition of riding from farm to farm and singing the song about Staffan and his horses, which the star boys perform to this day.

At the end of the 19th century, Lucia was joined by a following of handmaidens when the open-air museum Skansen in Stockholm took up the tradition and started hosting Lucia processions each year. The Star boys also were included in order to create opportunities for boys to participate in the procession. Nowadays it can include gingerbread men, pastry bakers and Santa’s helpers, each with their own carol to sing.

Lucia today is an important tradition for many people. For those with small children, celebrations start early at home, continue at preschools and schools, and also may be held at the workplace, hospitals, churches, and of course on television.

Lucia has become something of a symbol for Sweden, and Swedish people throughout the world have brought the concept with them, as we can see here today. Lucia has been celebrated in Santa Cruz for over 30 years, and we are planning to continue the tradition here for many more years to come.