Advent Tradition Series: Saint Lucy Day and Being a Torch Bearer
I previously shared that besides Christmas Day, our family also has observed two other days as part of our current advent activities: Saint Nicholas Day (December 6th) and Saint Lucy Day (December 13th).
Today I am sharing what we do for Saint Lucy Day!
Why We Celebrate Saint Lucy Day
I actually only learned about Saint Lucy Day being a thing a handful of years back, but was drawn to the themes of light, sacrificial and intentional living, and bravery that her story represents.
This holiday is a big one for those in Scandinavian countries, and while we are definitely not Scandinavian, Saint Lucy’s faith and martyrdom serves as inspiration for how to live, especially during this time of year.
A Little History
Even though she was Italian, Saint Lucy’s legacy spread all throughout Europe. Missionaries brought her story with them to the northern countries of Scandinavia, where darkness defines winter, and so the people naturally resonated with what her life and service represented.
In Latin, her name is Sancta Lucia. Lucia is derived from the Latin word “lux”, which means light.
According to legend, she secretly and courageously brought food and aid to Christians hiding in Roman catacombs during the persecution of Diocletian. It is told that in order to free up her hands, she wore a wreath of candles on her head to light her way through the darkness.
This is why the Swedish celebrate the holiday with the oldest daughter of each family typically wearing a white gown (with a red sash) and donning wreath of (battery-operated) candles on her head. At dawn, she goes around the home waking up her family while bearing treats and coffee.
Another (and harrowing) part of her legend is that her eyes were gouged out. Some say it was punishment for her angering the local Roman governor, some say she did it herself to discourage a suitor (she had committed herself and her virginity to God and planned to give her dowry away to the poor). Either way, she is also known in liturgical churches as the patron saint of the blind or those with eye problems.
For our crew, Saint Lucy’s story simply encourages us to live in such a way that helps others around us open their eyes to Jesus and the light He brings.
Food for Saint Lucy Day
If you know our fam, food is a huge part of our celebrations (hey, I’m Filipino). I mean, crafts/activities are fun. But food is ALWAYS better.
Lussekater Buns
One of the traditional foods for Saint Lucy Day is something called lussekatter buns (Swedish saffron sweet buns). Saffron gives the buns a golden “light” color, making them a fitting treat for the day.
We finally tried our hand at making them for the first time last year and plan to do so again this year. They were surprisingly not as sweet as we anticipated, which is actually a refreshing thing, since this time of year is usually laden with all kinds of sugar-y things!
Cinnamon Rolls
Before we learned how to make lussekatter buns, we simply made cinnamon rolls (from the can, because that’s how I roll, LOL).
Often, we shaped them into the “S” shape that is typical of lussekatter buns. One year, we braided the canned cinnamon rolls into a wreath, because another typical holiday food is a braided sweet bread (an homage to the evergreen crown worn on the head). This blog (even though we aren’t Catholic) is where I got the simple, easy-peasy idea of using cinnamon rolls … super helpful for me as a young, busy, tired mama who was new to the whole Saint Lucy Day idea.
Pepparkakor
This is another traditional Swedish treat and is a thin, crispy gingerbread cookie. We usually just buy Anna’s Ginger Swedish Thins from the grocery store (instead of trying to make them – because, EASY).
Books for Saint Lucy Day
If you’ve followed our fam for a bit, you know that besides food, books are another staple in our celebrations. The first two books are directly related to the saint. The rest of the books relate to the themes of being a light and giving sacrificially.
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Lucia Morning in Sweden by Ewa Rydaker shares how a Swedish family prepares for, and celebrates, December 13th! The back of this picture book shares the story of Saint Lucy, recipes for lussekatter buns and pepparkakor, a song, and even a guide for making Saint Lucy Day gowns!
Another wonderful picture book is Lucia: Saint of Light by Katherine Bolger Hyde. Traditions, history, and legend is shared in more deail, in story form (note that this book does go into how she possibly died via a sword to her throat).
I found this YouTube video of a reading of the entire book that you can enjoy (and preview), especially if you don’t already have any of these books!
The Gift of the Magi is a poignant classic that should be read every year, especially with your older kiddos!
Very little money poses a challenge for a young, newlywed couple who each want to bless their significant other with a worthy Christmas gift. Della (the wife) makes a great sacrifice to get Jim (the husband) something special, and Jim does the same for Della.
We discover at their surprising gift exchange that it wasn’t so much about the specific gifts they gabe each other, but about the love, devotion, and sacrifice that went behind them.
Humphrey’s First Christmas is geared towards younger kiddos and tells of Humphrey, a camel, whose whole objective is getting his blanket back. He finally gets a new one … but then something happens when he comes upon a shivering Baby Jesus.
Littles will learn about the importance of Christmas and what true gift-giving looks like in this precious and engaging picture book.
The Light Gift by the Voskamp Family (as in, Ann Voskamp’s family) is a beautifully illustrated, sweet and thoughtful story about how to:
“Stay on the way, and treat everyone as your would the Coming King.”
The powerful message of how to be a torch bearer to others is one your family will want to revisit year after year during advent. It has become one of our favorites, and fits perfectly with the Saint Lucy Day!
Activities for Saint Lucy Day
We personally have not adopted the white gown/red sash/wreath of candles tradition in our own home but have curated our own way of celebrating this “day of sight and light”.
A Gospel-Centered Lesson/Discussion
First, I’ve re-iterated to my kids that while other people, like Saint Lucy or Saint Nicholas, have lived light-filled lives, the real light comes from Jesus, who is Light of the World. Any light that these saints (and any other Jesus-follower, really) are able to bear in our lives does not originate with us. We simply get to reflect the light that comes solely from Jesus Christ.
When I first taught this lesson on light to my kids, I also asked this question:
What do you think of when you hear the word "light"?
Their answers reflected what most people think: light helps us see obstacles so we don’t fall down, light gives us comfort and hope (because darkness is scary), light shows us the way out, etc.
Most people associate light with goodness, right? Maybe warm and fuzzy feelings? Light can make us feel happy, even.
Yes, absolutely.
But while Jesus’ light ultimately can do that for us, it first and foremost is a light meant to humble us. Jesus didn’t come solely to bring us happiness … to save us from hard and challenging lives and to give us a better way.
Jesus – not just bearing light, but being light itself – penetrated the darkness that is the depravity of man. And in doing so, He illuminated the fact we were dead in our sin and an enemy of God … SO THAT we could we could realize our utter need to repent and be restored to the Holy Creator and Judge.
It is pretty sobering when you look at it that way; a way that actually shouldn’t initially cause us to celebrate, but instead, to first be humbled.
While light can show the way, light also reveals the ugliness that darkness covers.
Only in that awareness can we THEN rejoice in God’s sacrificial love for us when He reduced Himself to the most vulnerable of creation, as part of His merciful redemption plan.
He does show us a better way, but that better way first begins with a recognition and ownership of the fact we even need a better way in the first place. This is a mediation we need ponder often!
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:4-5 NKJV
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
John 8:12
I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.
John 12:46
Fun and Meaningful Activities
LOL, after going deep like that, we like to end on a lighter note, in celebration of the fact that God did not leave us in our depravity and instead, graciously gave us hope and restoration through Jesus. And because of all that, we then get to be torch bearers to this world!
Around Town:
We simply do more of the connection activities we do on Saint Nicholas Day (usually the ones we didn’t get to do that day), like:
- Going around town leaving “Random Acts of Kindness” notes with coins at laundromats, or dollars at the dollar store, or candy canes, etc. on shelves of stores you visit, for others to find.
- Bake and bring cookies to neighbors or community service members.
- Bring toiletry/food items to your local homeless shelter or food pantry.
- Bring a hot cocoa (or gift card for hot cocoa) to the red kettle bell ringer at the grocery store.
In the Home:
- Crafts that supplemented our learning were a big thing when the kids were little. Pinterest was my go-to in that stage for ideas (which are MANY!). From paper wreath crowns, to Saint Lucy yarn ornaments, to the more complicated candle-making, to easy printable coloring pages … there is a sea of hands-on ideas.
- Now that the kids are older (and have out-grown crafts), we have each kiddo tell each of their other siblings how they have witnessed Jesus’ light demonstrated in a significant way in their lives recently. Lasy year, they actually took time to write out more reflective notes/cards to communicate those thoughts to each other. This has been a great way to edify each other in our walks (and obviously, you can do this any time of year).
- Watch a movie, of course! For Saint Lucy Day, we like the classic, It’s a Wonderful Life.
Again, there are so many different ways to celebrate the themes of light, sacrificial and intentional living, and bravery. But these are just some to get you started if you are wanting to incorporate celebrating Saint Lucy Day as part your family’s advent traditions.
Holidays are Special Reminders for How to Live Everyday
Like any other special holiday, I remind my kids that what we are celebrating shouldn’t be limited to the day. Being a torch bearer for God’s kingdom isn’t in so much the things we do one day a year, as it is the way we live our lives every day of the year.
It may look like giving tangible gifts that spark joy. It may look like giving kind words that edify and encourage.
But it may also look like:
- Giving a genuine, listening ear.
- Going outside of our comfort zone to engage and include a person who is new our is on the outskirts of a group.
- Exercising self-control and patience to parents and siblings.
- Counting blessings when we are tempted to gripe and complain.
- Submitting to authority as God calls us to. Being humbly bold as God calls us to.
It can look like different things, but being a torch bearer for the kingdom ultimately means being tethered in relationship to the Father, through Jesus, in a way that we humbly allow Holy Spirit to lead us accordingly each day as He sees fit, for His story and His glory.