One of my favorite holidays of the year is St. Lucia Day! I love the Scandinavian tradition of the daughter of the house rising early to bring her family food and coffee in bed, all while wearing a wreath of candles on her head.
The celebration of St. Lucia is a favorite family and church tradition in Scandinavian countries– even if now most little girls wear battery operated candles 😉 It is also one of my favorite holidays to paint, and continues to be a popular subject for buyers coming to my etsy shop!
Through the years I’ve built up quite the St Lucia collection of art in my etsy shop— from my still most popular first painting with the red background, to homey scenes and outdoor scenes. it is always a day of happiness and excitement— when the light begins to return the the dark landscape of the northern countries such as Sweden and Norway.
One of my very favorite shows to watch around this time of the year is “Rick Steves’ European Christmas”, and in it they visit Norway and see a St Lucia procession! I am going to leave it here for you to see, it might inspire your own European-style celebrating this holiday season!~
Sleightholm Folk Art 
Santa Lucia has been our day to have the tree up and enjoy saffron buns for decades now. While my Norwegian husband's family did not celebrate this holiday, I learned about it decades ago and incorporated it in the Advent traditions we celebrated with our young girls. To this day, I have so many wonderful memories of celebrating this popular Saint. I can only. Imagine how exciting it would be to celebrate in Ortigia, Sicily at the Cathedral dedicated to Santa Lucia. Every other year, they bring the sacred remains of the Saint and parade through the public square on December 13 in her honor. Wouldn't that we fantastic to participate in???
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Yes! That would be amazing!!! St Lucia is so beloved around the world too ❤
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