Saffron & Singing
Lucia, or Saint Lucy’s day, is a celebration of light in the darkest month of the year. It falls on December 13th in Sweden and is celebrated by a girl dressing in a white dress with a red sash round her waist and a crown of candles on her head. The crown is made of lingonberry branches, which are evergreen and symbolise new life in winter. In Sweden, a national Lucia is also chosen. A train of children, dressed in white with candles, sparkles and stars, follow the girl upfront. At the end of the train, the smallest children are dressed as red little “tomte-elfs” and gingerbread people. The train of children is filled with lights and good cheer. The trains visit hospitals and retirement homes singing holiday songs and handing out “Pepparkakor,” also known as ginger snap cookies. Schools normally pick their own St. Lucia, and some town and villages also choose a girl to play St. Lucia in a procession where carols are sung. A popular food eaten on Lucia are Lussekatter; a golden yeast bread, filled with saffron and dotted with raisins, it is my favorite treat in December. It takes a bit of effort and time to make them, but oh so worth it.
I want to bring you light around the shortest day in December by sharing a free print of my modern Lucia girl. Inspired by my daughter and her tween books, I realized it is hard to find a modern take on our traditional Lucia. I drew this on my iPad, with an Apple Pencil, in a program called Procreate. My daughter named her.
Meet Selma, our fictional Lucia. She loves reading, and donates most of her free time volunteering at the local animal shelter. She can’t get enough snuggles in with all the stray animals. She picks the raisins out of the saffron buns and can’t wait to sing for the elderly.
Find your free download here. Use it as wallpaper on your phone or print it.
Glad Lucia everyone
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