Saint Lucy's Day (Sankta Lucia, Saint Lucia) is the Church feast day dedicated to St. Lucy and is observed on December 13. It retains traditional forms of celebration mainly in Scandinavia, parts of the United States and southern Europe. It is celebrated in Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Norway, Finland, Malta, Italy, Bosnia, Iceland, and Croatia. In the United States, people in areas of Minnesota and other states with Scandinavian roots continue to celebrate the holiday, often centered around church events. Before the reform of the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century, St. Lucy's Day fell close to the winter solstice on the Northern Hemisphere.

In traditional celebrations, Saint Lucy comes as a young woman with lights and sweets. It is one of the few saint days observed in Scandinavia.

In Scandinavia

In Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Norway and Finland, Lucy (called Lucia) it is venerated on December 13 in a ceremony where a girl is elected to portray Lucia. Wearing a white gown with a red sash and a crown of candles on her head, she walks at the head of a procession of women, each holding a candle. The candles symbolize 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 Neapolitan song Santa Lucia; the Italian lyrics describe the view from Santa Lucia in Naples, the various Scandinavian lyrics are fashioned for the occasion, describing the light with which Lucia overcomes the darkness. Each Scandinavian country has lyrics in their native tongues. After finishing this song, the procession sings Christmas carols or more songs about Lucia. A similar version occurs in Scandinavian communities and churches in the United States.

When the Scandinavian countries were Catholic, the night of Lucia was celebrated just as many other saints' days were. The tradition continued after the Reformation in the 1520s and 1530s. According to the Julian calendar^{[citation needed]}, the night of Lucia was the longest night of the year. This is likely to be the reason why the tradition has lived on in the Nordic countries in particular, as the nights in November and December are very dark and long before the snow has fallen, and the idea of light overcoming darkness is thus appealing.

Sweden

Lucia procession in Sweden, 2007

Lucia bun, made with saffron.

A traditional kind of bun, Lussekatt ("St. Lucia Bun"), made with saffron, is normally eaten on this day.

Some trace the “re-birth” of the Lucia celebrations in Sweden to the tradition in German Protestant families of having girls dressed as angelic Christ children, handing out Christmas presents. The Swedish variant of this white-dressed Kindchen Jesus, or Christkind, was called Kinken Jes, and started to appear in upper-class families in the 1700s on Christmas Eve with a candle-wreath in her hair, handing out candy and cakes to the children. Another theory claims that the Lucia celebration evolved from old Swedish traditions of “star boys” and white-dressed angels singing Christmas carols at different events during Advent and Christmas. In either case, the current tradition of having a white-dressed woman with candles in her hair appearing on the morning of the Lucia day started in the area around Lake Vänern in the late 1700s and spread slowly to other parts of the country during the 1800s.

In the Lucia procession in the home depicted by Carl Larsson in 1908, the oldest daughter brings coffee and St. Lucia buns to her parents while wearing a candle-wreath and singing a Lucia song. Other daughters may help, dressed in the same kind of white robe and carrying a candle in one hand, but only the oldest daughter wears the candle-wreath.

The modern tradition of having public processions in the Swedish cities started in 1927 when a newspaper in Stockholm elected an official Lucia for Stockholm that year. The initiative was then followed around the country through the local press. Today most cities in Sweden appoint a Lucia every year. Schools elect a Lucia and her maids among the students and a national Lucia is elected on national television from regional winners. The regional Lucias will visit shopping malls, old people's homes and churches, singing and handing out ginger snaps.

There are now also boys in the procession, playing different roles associated with Christmas. Some may be dressed in the same kind of white robe, but with a coneshaped hat decorated with golden stars, called stjärngossar (star boys); some may be dressed up as "tomtenissar" (Santa's little helpers), carrying lanterns; and some may be dressed up as gingerbread men. They participate in the singing and also have a song or two of their own, usually Staffan Stalledräng, which tells the story about Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, caring for his five horses.

A traditional kind of bun, Lussekatt ("St. Lucia Bun"), made with saffron, is normally eaten on this day.

Although St. Lucia's Day is not an official holiday in Sweden, it is a popular occasion in Sweden. The Lucia evening and night is a notoriously noisy time. High school students often celebrate by partying all through the night. At many universities, students hold big formal dinner parties since this is the last chance to celebrate together before most students go home to their families for Christmas.

The Swedish lyrics to the Neapolitan song Santa Lucia have traditionally been either Natten går tunga fjät (The Night walks with heavy steps) or Sankta Lucia, ljusklara hägring (Saint Lucy, Bright Illusion). There is also a modern version with easier text for children: Ute är mörkt och kallt (Outside it's dark and cold).

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Lyric of

Sankta lucia ljusklara hägring

Sprid i vår vinternatt glans av din fägring

Drömmar med vinge sus under oss sia

Tänd dina vita ljus sankta lucia  ¯­

Kom i din vita skrud, huld med din maning

Skänk oss du julens brud, julfröjders aning

Drömmar med vinge sus under oss sia

Tänd dina vita ljus sankta lucia  ¯­

Stjärnor ska leda oss, vägen att finna

Bli dina klara bloss fagra prästinna

Drömmar med vinge sus under oss sia

Tänd dina vita ljus sankta lucia  ¯­

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Staffan var en stalledräng
vi tackom nu så gärna
Han vattnar sina fålar fem
allt för den ljusa stjärna.
Ingen dager synes än,
stjärnorna på himmelen de blänka.

Bästa fålen apelgrå,
vi tackom nu så gärna.
Den rider Staffan själv uppå,
allt för den ljusa stjärna.
Ingen dager synes än,
stjärnorna på himmelen de blänka.

Nu är eld uti var spis,
vi tackom nu så gärna.
Julegröt och julegris,
allt för den ljusa stjärna.
Ingen dager synes än,
stjärnorna på himmelen de blänka.

Nu är fröjd uti vart hus,

vi tackom nu så gärna.
Julegran och juleljus,
allt för den ljusa stjärna.
Ingen dager synes än,
stjärnorna på himmelen de blänka.