Singing at the Swedish Church for Lucia

My Swedish friends celebrate Lucia, Saint Lucia (Saint Lucy). The tradition of Lucia is for her and her followers to bring light and music during the darkest part of the year and this festival is celebrated everywhere in Sweden.

We went to the Swedish Church in London and watched a Swedish choir sing, the singing consists on an elected girl to portray Lucia. She wears a white gown with a red sash and a crown of candles on her head, and walks at the head of a procession of women, each holding a candle. The candles symbolise the fire that refused to take St. Lucia's life when she was sentenced to be burned. The women sing a Lucia song while entering the room, to the melody of the traditional Sicilian song. Santa Lucia. From what I could gather the Swedish priest said Siracusa, so therefore think she is the one and the same as Saint Lucy, the patron church of Siracusa.  Saint Lucia is one of the few Saints the Swedish commemorate.

12 of my friends and I sat at the upper balcony of the Swedish church and savoured the music of the choir. The singing lasted for about an hour and I was worried that the girl elected to portray Lucia would have her hair catch on fire, but my Swedish friends told me this never happens, although some girls do faint from the heat of the candles.

After the choir singing my friends ate some church baked saffron buns and ginger biscuits and drank some mulled wine. We are looking forward to the celebration of Lucia this following Sunday at the Ickburgh house.