Lucia Day

Lucia Day is on December 13th. As it is approaching, we are learning more about it. It is a day to celebrate the darkness of Winter and a Saint is honored. It is an Italian Catholic saint and most of the country is Lutheran so I don't think religion is a big part of it. So, the children dress up for the day. They can chose to wear a long white dress, a Santa outfit or a gingerbread outfit. We go to her school in the afternoon. The parents come and sing traditional holiday songs together with the kids. The parents present a gift to all of the teachers. Then we have coffee and treats. Sounds festive. Then in the evening there is a procession through the city that ends at Skansen (a big outdoor living history museum and cultural area) where there is singing and dancing. The procession is candlelit and I guess people hold candles and also where a halo of candles on their head. It is cool to have a new holiday to celebrate and learn about. We'll fill you in after the fact of more details. Saniya decided to wear a white dress. I think that means she is an angel or the saint.

Ok, so I just read about it in a Stockholm website and thought I would just copy it for you all:

Lucia - Queen of Light
When winter is at its darkest, Lucia and her white-clad entourage arrive with light. Lucia Day, 13 December, is celebrated in the traditional manner at many locations in Stockholm.
The Lucia celebration is a tradition that is said to have come to Sweden as far back as the middle of the 1700s. The first Swedish Lucia procession was organized in Stockholm in 1927. Lucia is observed on December 13 to honor the Italian saint from Sicily. The chief reason of the tradition being so popular today is presumably because Lucia and her retinue evoke deep and spirited feelings with their candles and beautiful singing in churches, schools and day-care centers. Lucia is the occasion for eating lussekatter, a kind of wheat bun seasoned with saffron and found in all the cafés. In the past 50 years, the Lucia tradition has grown ever stronger and become a prelude to the Christmas celebration. Lucia processions are popular at day nurseries, schools, places of work, senior citizens' homes and other homes in greater Stockholm and nation-wide.