Ideas for Celebrating St. Lucia Day

Recruit Participants: St. Lucia Day processions typically involve children and teens. While there's no set number required, ensure you have at least one older girl to portray St. Lucia. Other participants can play roles like Maidens for girls and Star Boys for boys. Young children can also take part, often portraying elves, gingerbread figures, or other mythical characters.

• If you're not in Sweden, contact your local Swedish cultural association to seek volunteers.
• Involve family and friends in the festivities.
• Consider reaching out on local community message boards for additional participants.

Schedule the procession: Plan for the procession to occur on the evening of December 13th, ensuring it's dark enough for the candlelight to shine brightly. Choose a suitable location, such as parks, churches, Swedish cultural centers, or neighborhood streets, for the event.

Purchase or create Lucia and Maiden attire: Lucia and her Maidens traditionally wear elegant white dresses adorned with a red sash and red stockings. These can be bought at major clothing retailers or crafted at home.

Acquire or craft the wreath: Lucia typically dons an evergreen wreath, often referred to as a crown, adorned with seven candles. While pre-made wreaths are available, you can also fashion one yourself for authenticity and personal touch.

Arrange costumes for the Star Boys: Star Boys attire includes white robes paired with conical hats featuring star embellishments, reminiscent of wizard hats. Crafting these hats from white poster board and star cutouts is a simple yet effective option.

Purchase white candles: Secure one candle per participant and seven additional candles for St. Lucia's wreath. For safety, opt for electric candles as a safer alternative.

Prepare song lyrics and music: Ensure you have printed copies of the traditional St. Lucia Day song, particularly if you intend to sing it in Swedish for participants who may not understand the language.

Dim the lights and illuminate the candles: Prior to the procession, turn off all lights indoors or outdoors. Everyone should have their candles lit before the procession commences!

Participate in the procession: During the procession, St. Lucia leads the way, followed closely by the Maidens. The Star Boys and other participants follow behind. While historically processions traversed the main streets of towns, modern versions are often shorter, sometimes limited to a walk down the main aisle of a church.

Perform the Lucia song: Upon completing the procession, St. Lucia positions herself at the center, flanked by the Maidens in a semicircle formation, with other participants forming the sides and back of the semicircle. Together, they sing the St. Lucia Day song, either in Swedish or translated. You can listen to the Swedish version of the Lucia song here.

Select a time and venue: Optimal timing for hosting a St. Lucia Day gathering is immediately following a procession. If there's no local procession, schedule it for the evening of December 13th. You can host it at home, a restaurant, a church, or your local Swedish cultural association--the choice is yours based on your preferences and budget!

Extend invitations to your guests: If you're outside Sweden, consider inviting members of the local Swedish community, particularly if they're part of a local procession. Otherwise, invite your family and friends. Given the proximity of St. Lucia Day to Christmas, sending out invitations several weeks in advance ensures people can attend.

Adorn for the occasion: Incorporate St. Lucia's colors of red and white into your decorations, or utilize the Swedish flag. Red and white crepe paper, bunting, and tablecloths are ideal. Many Christmas decorations, especially those featuring evergreens or candles, are suitable for St. Lucia Day as well.

Offer traditional Swedish delicacies: Serve a St. Lucia Crown Cake, typically a round coffee cake adorned with seven candles arranged in a circle. Adults often enjoy glögg, a type of mulled wine, while non-drinkers can opt for coffee or lingonberry juice. Additionally, include classic Swedish dishes like meatballs, gingerbread cookies, and buns.

Arrange authentic entertainment: If there's a local St. Lucia procession, it's customary for participants to sing St. Lucia Day songs at post-procession gatherings. Alternatively, play recordings of St. Lucia Day songs and other traditional Swedish music.

Acquire the traditional attire or gown. It's customary in Swedish households for the eldest girl to embody St. Lucia and rouse her family at the break of day on St. Lucia Day. She adorns the same attire and wreath as the girl portraying St. Lucia in the procession.

• If you lack the attire, ensure you procure these essentials before St. Lucia Day--they're indispensable at daybreak.
• If there are no daughters in your household, there's no impediment for another family member to assume the role of St. Lucia!

Prepare the morning treats beforehand. Swedish families typically indulge in lussekatter on the morning of St. Lucia Day. Lussekatter are saffron buns shaped like cats, though any bun or roll suffices. They pair delightfully with glögg or coffee. Ensure the refreshments are ready before retiring for the night!

Rouse your family at daybreak. The individual portraying St. Lucia should rouse the household at daybreak to extend St. Lucia Day greetings and offer the customary morning treat. Dawn symbolizes the emergence of light amidst winter's darkness, thus early rising is pivotal on St. Lucia Day.

View special holiday broadcasts. In Sweden, television channels broadcast grand St. Lucia processions and concerts on the morning of St. Lucia Day. If you're not in Sweden, you can peruse online videos to recreate the ambiance within your own abode.

• Exercise extreme caution if opting for real candles in your procession.