One of my parents' many Christmas decorations is a wooden candle holder shaped like a little girl dressed for Saint Lucia Day. I always wanted so badly to light the candles, but we never did.
My mother (who is not Swedish, but married a Swede) made a big deal out of being Swedish in December. We talked about Santa Lucia, and how the day was observed in homes in Sweden. The idea of actually getting to wear a real wreath with candles in it seemed very romantic. I imagined that if I were growing up in Sweden instead of in America, as the oldest (only) daughter, I would get to bring coffee and saffron Lucia buns to everyone in the house while wearing a white robe and that fabulous candle-wreath and singing a Lucia song.
Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!
Venite all’agile barchetta mia,
Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!
(Okay, that's Italian. But you get the idea.)
Growing up, I took a lot of pride in being Swedish. I suppose I still do, in that I'm continuing the tradition of tomte presents for children.
Growing up, I took a lot of pride in being Swedish. I suppose I still do, in that I'm continuing the tradition of tomte presents for children.The tomtes (we say "tumtas") are gnome-like characters who resemble the American Santa Claus, and bring a small present to each child every day from December 1 through December 24. They're like a mobile, magical Advent calender, marking the days until Christmas and making the wait a little easier. Like Santa Claus, they have a flying sleigh—albeit a very tiny one, as tomtes are thumb-sized. And they live in Sweden, not at the North Pole.
For years, I thought this was traditional Swedish folklore, and a common occurrence in Swedish households. I found out just recently that while tomtes are Swedish, the 24 gifts they bring was my mother's idea.
5 comments:
Good god, I love the Swedes. They have the coolest style, traditions, and for reals, they are all freaking gorgeous. Even the "ugly" ones are supermodels over here.
I'm a half-Swede too (my mom's side is Swedish and my dad's is Spanish/Mexican)! I love learning about Swedish..anything. I'm looking for a good vegan Swedish "meatballs" recipe at the moment.
Would love to visit one day.
I had never heard of Santa Lucia before until we started going to a Lutheran Church (I grew up Catholic) and their Christmas service had a whole section on Santa Lucia. It was really interesting.
BTW, I love the pictures in this post!
I married a Swede and was delighted to find out about their traditions, too. My sister-in-law has several pictures of her in a wreath of real candles. Too cool. I've wanted to visit Sweden for some time now, too. We finally booked our flight for April. I can't wait to see Sweden and also have Dmitry's relatives meet Luna!
I'm Swedish (and a bunch of other stuff) but the only extended family that I've ever seen from my father's side are the Swedes. It's only ever been photos of them, as I've never met them IRL. I would LOVE to visit and meet my family.
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