Why We Celebrate Saint Lucy’s Day – The Bringer Of Light And Patron Of The Blind

On December 13, the Feast of Saint Lucy is celebrated in some countries. This is a special Christmas holiday that is very important mainly in Scandinavia and Italy.

It’s called St. Lucy day (also know as St. Lucia Day). The celebration is held in honor of Saint Lucy, a martyr who became a patron of the blind and those with eye disorders who died during the Diocletianic Persecution.

Known as St. Lucia of Syracuse the woman was honored in the Middle Ages and remained a well-known saint in early modern England. According to legend she brought food and aid to Christians hiding in the catacombs using a candle-lit wreath to light her way and leave her hands free to carry as much food as possible.

In addition she helped her fellow Catholics hiding in the dark underground catacombs who were at risk of suffering persecution.

Saint Lucy was also well known for her beautiful eyes. It was said that her eyes radiated her love for Christ.

Lucy was born of rich and noble parents about the year 283.

Her father was of Roman origin, but died when she was five years old leaving Lucy and her mother without a protective guardian.

Her mother’s name Eutychia seems to indicate she was of Greek origin.

Lucy was deeply religious and wanted to devote her to God. She didn’t want to get married. Instead she wanted to do something for poor people.

However, her mother who feared for Lucy’s future arranged a marriage to a young man of a wealthy pagan family.

Lucy’s mother suffered from a bleeding disorder and her condition made Lucy deeply worried.

One night, while dreaming, Lucy saw Saint Agatha who had been martyred fifty-two years during the Decian persecution.

The saint told Lucy that because of her faith in God her mother would be cured and that Lucy would be the glory of Syracuse, as she was of Catania.

With her mother cured, Lucy took the opportunity to persuade her mother to allow her to distribute a great part of her riches among the poor.

The Pagan man proposed to Lucy was furious when he heard the news. He decided to destroy Lucy’s life denouncing her as a Christian to the Governor of Syracuse, Sicily.

That was a time where many Christians were persecuted for their faith.

When the Governor of Syracuse learned the jewelry had been given away to the poor he became furious. The governor sentenced her to forced prostitution, but when guards went to fetch her, they could not move her even when they hitched her to a team of oxen. The governor ordered her killed instead. After torture that included having her eyes torn out, she was surrounded by bundles of wood which were set afire; they went out. She prophesied against her persecutors, and was executed by being stabbed to death with a dagger. Her name is listed in the prayer “Nobis quoque peccatoribus” in the Canon of the Mass.

Legend says her eyesight was restored before her death. That was the reason she became the patron saint for people who are blind and suffer eye disorders.

St. Lucy (Lucia) feast day brings many different types of celebrations in various countries. Her feast is also tied in with the celebration of light and winter, as her name means light and her feast day originally coincided with the winter solstice, which marked the shortest day of the year.

In Croatia there is a custom to plant the Christmas wheat on the feast of St. Lucy. Plant the seeds into a small dish of soil, and place the dish in a moderately warm room, keeping it watered. By Christmas Eve the fresh shoots of wheat should be about 8 inches of a soft green.

The wheat then can be placed next to the manger or crib scene as a gift to Jesus and a reminder to us of the Eucharist which feeds our souls and also as the staff of life which nourishes all of mankind. It can also be used a table decoration, with a candle placed in the center.

Saint Lucy is celebrated all over Italy. Sicilians still commemorate Saint Lucy’s intervention during a severe famine in 1582. Miraculously, ships filled with grain appeared in the harbor on December 13.

The people were so hungry that they didn’t take the time to grind the grain into flour but boiled the grains immediately. Sicilians refuse to eat anything made of wheat flour for this day, which means forgoing pasta and bread. Instead they eat a most popular dish called cuccia which is made with boiled whole wheat berries, ricotta and sugar.

Alongside Midsummer, the Lucia celebrations represent one of the foremost cultural traditions in Sweden. This is a special feast day in Sweden, called Luciadagen.

It is custom to dress a girl in a white dress with a red sash round her waist and a crown of candles on her head. There was a time when real candles were used, but this was much too dangerous. Instead the girl who is Lucia wears crown with white lighted electronic candles.

The crown is made of Lingonberry branches which are evergreen and symbolize new life in winter. It is custom that there is a Sainy Lucia celebration in every school every and some town and villages also choose a girl to play St. Lucia in a procession where carols are sung.

A national Lucia is also chosen. Lucias also visit hospitals and old people’s homes singing a song about St Lucia and handing out ‘Pepparkakor’, ginger snap biscuits.

Small children sometimes like dressing up as Lucia (with the help of their parents!). Also boys might dress up as ‘Stjärngossar’ (star boys) and girls might be ‘tärnor’ (like Lucia but without the candles).

On St. Lucy’s day in Sweden it’s very popular to eat so-called “Lussekatter”, buns flavored with saffron and dotted with raisins.

The feast is especially beautiful to watch in the northern part of the country where you can see the Lucia procession walk outdoors in the dark from house to house in the snow holding candles.

Saint Lucy day is also celebrated in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Bosnia, Malta, and in certain places in the United States.

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