December 13  The Feast Day of Santa Lucia

The Feast Day of Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy)                                                                    

An excerpt from my sermon on “A Saint for the Season of Light”  

…How could an Italian gondola song, a faith miracle, sticky buns, evergreens, a Norse Goddess, and a Swedish folk festival ever be linked? The connections, as you will hear, are found in the unifying ideals of light and love. These associations are all wrapped and presented to us in the story of St. Lucia, the patron saint of light and spiritual insight.  As We enter into the darkest two weeks of the year, it is part of our heightened awareness to pay attention to how light and spirituality share a common religious history. In all the world religions, myths, and stories about the inner meaning of light and its theology are intermingled and one often illumines the other, and can serve to point to the same truths.

In his poetry, Dante referred to St. Lucia as the “Queen of Supernal Light” Whatever you might think about the idea of having a patron saint, a guiding spirit or some protective intercessor on your behalf, the story of St. Lucia is among the most beloved in Western thought and legend.

As Christianity spread northward, it began to encounter various Teutonic pagan beliefs and their earth centered festivals. As I have previously noted, our modern holidays decorations and myths such as Halloween, All Souls, and Now Christmastime have many of its origins, from pumpkins to evergreens as Christmas trees, in these pagan Northern festivals of the Teutons, Celts, and Druids.

In studying the spread of Christianity and Western Civilization, I remain amazed how a Middle Eastern religion, with a Mediterranean culture, could fit or be accommodated to Teutonic, Celtic, and Druid festivals. When looked at through our modern eyes we can see that all religious cultures contain the same truths placed or adorned in different packages- the key to this inclusion or accommodation of different traditions is an open attitude of appreciation, and a willingness to become aware of how we can all benefit from acknowledging our interfaith roots and celebrations. In Northern Europe, principally among the Danes, and the Scandinavian people, there was a rich and elaborate mythology that guided their lives and directed their worship. Known collectively as Norse mythology, it was every bit as enthralling and complex as the Greco-Roman versions. (The world tree, Yggdrasil, Thor’s day, mistletoe, and many famous tales …)

This most important date, December 13th, was the feast day of the goddess Lucina, or Lucinda. Along with other goddesses such as Freya, they governed the harvest season and acted as female protectors of hearth and home. Lucina, instructed the villagers to build bonfires, to urge the Sun to come back and gain in strength for the coming spring. As a part of their gratitude, the people were told to offer hospitality, and share their food and drink with all their neighbors and kin. Lucina was known for the common cup of mead- a fermented drink made of grain that was hearty and stout, that each family would serve to its many visitors helping them to become happy and helping each person to ward off the winter chills.

With the Christianization of Europe, over the centuries, St. Lucia and the goddess Lucinda became merged into one holiday celebrating the season of light and hope and the promise of spring. Still celebrated in many Swedish homes, St. Lucia’s day remains a popular family event.

One daughter, from every household, would be designated as the “Lucia Bride” for that year. She would be dressed all in white, with a red sash. On her head would be a crown of evergreens, red loganberries, and it would support seven encircling candles. Her task was to rise early on the 13th, and prepare a special treat of coffee, candy, and special sticky bun pastries and offer them to every parent and grandparent in the home as a sign of gratitude and love.

To summarize, the archetype or ancient symbolic teachings found in the St. Lucia story can still hold value for us today. Remembering St. Lucia’s Day is another way of remembering how darkness is dispelled by light, ignorance by truth, fear by faith and loneliness by love.

For the women of the world, the image or role model of a powerful yet compassionate woman serving humanity by offering gifts of light and caring can be appreciated in many ways:

It could simply be a metaphor for holiday cooking and entertaining family and friends-Or more seriously, a time when the “dis-eases” of perception are looked at and courageously faced and when the purpose for one’s life and the importance of one’s relationships becomes illumined.

For me, the archetypal truth of St. Lucia that lives on in her celebration is that humanity, in rhythm and resonance with the seasons, gives thanks for all who bring light to our world, and that whatever spiritual understanding we have or chose concerning this season, we can claim that it is a truth that transcends creeds and cultures. 

That each of us is to live in the light and love of God. AMEN