Tuesday 16 December 2014

FINLAND: Saint Lucy's Day Celebration



December 13th is St. Lucy's Day in Finland. The celebration of this day is a part of a Finland-Swedish Christmas tradition. It includes a ceremony in which a girl is elected to portray St. Lucy, Lucia in Finnish. Lucia is wearing a white dress, a red belt and she has a crown of candles on her head. She walks at the head of of a procession of girls or women who also wear a white dress and a red belt, and each is holding a candle. They sing a Lucia song when they enter the room. After this song they sing Christmas carols and more songs about Lucia.

St  Lucy's Day is also considered to be a celebration of light in the darkest time of the year.
Some schools have their own Lucia processions but in our school the Lucia procession traditionally comes from another school, from a Finland-Swedish school Norra Paipis skola.

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