The feast day dedicated to Saint Lucy is probably the most uniquely Swedish and certainly the most beautiful element of my native country's Advent and Christmas celebrations. And if you consider how dark December is in Scandinavia, it is easy to understand why our ancestors felt a need to welcome the light. It is almost as easy to understand why, subsequently, Christianity did not protest against the tradition, but simply adapted and incorporated it into its festive calendar. That Protestant Sweden through this became the country which most actively honours the Catholic Saint Lucia of Syracuse must be a good example of the whims of history.
No, then I am much more surprised that we Swedes in Zurich managed to fill up the Saint Peter's Church for the Christmas Service last Sunday. True, the priest is known to be good but let us be honest - it must have been the Lucia procession by the Scandinavian choir, Nota Bene, which made the event so popular. Can there be one single Swede who does not love Lucia?
My wife and our oldest son were closely involved in the activities, as singing members of the procession. My own contribution should have been to tell our youngest son off properly, because he refused to participate. But it is soon Christmas and then you of course have to be nice, so I limited my efforts to keeping him company in the audience. ;)
Deutsche Version (kommt bald)
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