Luciatåg

One of my favorite things about being part of an international school is getting to celebrate all the traditions coming from all over the world. Many have a familiar feeling but a unique twist. St. Lucia Day, or Luciatåg, is one of these. Olivia's pre-K teacher is from Sweden where this tradition originates and she took the students through the history and festivities of the day.

The festival begins with a procession led by the St. Lucia designee, who is followed by young girls dressed in white and wearing lighted wreaths on their heads and boys dressed in white pajama-like costume singing traditional songs. Traditionally, real candles were used, but for safety reasons they’ve been replaced by battery-powered ones. The festival marks the beginning of the Christmas season in Scandinavia, and it is meant to bring hope and light during the darkest time of the year.

It is celebrated on December 13th as this was the historic Julian calendar’s shortest day of the year, and according to Swedish folklore, the long night was dangerous, with dark spirits out in force. Staying awake was paramount, and eating helped – another connection to the small feast associated with today’s Lucia celebration.

Olivia was chosen by her class to be St. Lucia and got to lead the procession around the school for the class to sing to other students. She came home so proud of wearing the headdress. I asked the teacher about the songs. Here is a taste of the main Lucia song, "Sankta Lucia".