Santa Lucia ~ December 13th

Santa Lucia

December 13 is the traditional feast date of Saint Lucy of Syracuse, who is also the beloved Swedish figure, Sankta Lucia. Lutheran churches of Swedish heritage in the United States have celebrated Lucia’s feast day since the late nineteenth century, and Lucia fests still happen each December. Some are community-based, typically sponsored by Swedish heritage groups, and others are ecclesial, most often in Lutheran churches originally populated by Swedes. In these celebrations, a young woman is chosen to represent Lucia, which involves dressing in a white gown with a red sash and wearing a crown of candles on her head (some, but not all, are now battery-powered.) Other similarly-dressed young women make up Lucia’s court, and sometimes small boys are cast as Starboys; they dress up in white conical hats and wave star-tipped wands and accompany Lucia and her court. Traditional Swedish music is performed or sung by the congregation. The task of Lucia and her court is to engage in hospitality for the congregation or assembled crowd: Lucia serves coffee and Swedish baked goods. In simpler home celebrations, the oldest daughter of the household dresses as Lucia and serves her parents coffee and rolls in bed.

All of this is charming, and in my household Lucia Day is a cherished part of the Advent season. But what deeper theological significance does Lucia have, if any? The traditional story of the Sicilian martyr, dating back to about the 6th Century, portrays her as a young Christian woman living in the 4th Century, engaged to marry a non-Christian man. Even more problematic, Lucy had taken a vow of virginity after her mother’s miraculous healing at the tomb of Saint Agatha. Rather than go through with the marriage, Lucy donated her dowry to the poor, thus simultaneously following Jesus’ command to care for the poor and rendering herself no longer eligible for marriage. Revealed publicly as a Christian by the young man, she was tortured; accounts differ as to whether her eyes were taken out during the torture or whether Lucy herself removed them so as to discourage further suitors. Lucy was eventually martyred, and is often depicted by artists as restored to life and health, but carrying her eyes on a plate or platter.
What of this story remains in the modern Swedish tradition? The Swedish images of Lucia emphasize her virginity but efface the martyrdom (although the red sash may symbolize blood, this is not universally attested). The traditional Swedish rolls served on Lucia Day, lussekatter, do contain raisins or currants, which resemble eyes. A sanitized account of Lucy’s martyrdom is often read at Lucia fests, and there is a clear connection between Lucy’s act of giving generously to the poor and Lucia’s role of serving food to the assembled congregation. But Lucia remains in danger of slipping from the position of a powerful religious symbol – she was a woman who chose to honor her religious convictions, and who followed the instructions of the Christ whom she loved to care for others, even at the cost of her life – to charming cultural figure. While the Swedish tradition is fun, and appropriate for children, and offers a chance to pause during the hectic month of December and enjoy the hospitality of one’s community, without deep reflection on what martyrdom meant to Lucy and how she can guide us on our own Christian journeys, something important is lost.

If you have a chance to attend a Lucia fest, this year or another year, take a moment to consider who Lucy, the historical martyr, really was and how she can connect us with the early Christians. As you eat your lussekatter and watch Lucia and her court, remember Lucy’s radical act of care for the poor. And as you consider the meaning of Advent, recognize Lucia as someone who points us toward the Christ.

Courtney Wilder