17th day of Christmas

In Scandinavia, one of the biggest Christmas celebrations is happening today- the festival of Santa Lucia. This Festival, which on the old Julian calendar, took place on the longest night of the year, commemorates a young Christian girl who was martyred in 304AD. The most common story told about St. Lucia is that she would secretly bring food to the persecuted Christians in Rome, who lived in hiding in the catacombs under the city. According to this story, St. Lucia (whose name means "light") wore candles on her head so her hands were free to carry more food.

To celebrate St. Lucia Day in Sweden, the eldest daughter in each family dresses in a long white gown and a crown of lingonberry leaves, in which are set seven lighted candles. She distributes hot coffee and "Lussekattor" (Lucia buns) and, in procession with her brothers and sisters who are also dressed in white, sings about the light and joy of Christmas. I wanted to celebrate St. Lucia day here as it is an important day for my sister-in-law, who is of Swedish heritage, and because it gave me the opportunity to highlight the amazingly pure voice of Norwegian soprano, Sissel Kyrkjebø.  Happy St. Lucia Day! 

This video is taken from a concert with the Mormon Tabernacle choir in 2006. This concert also included lovely performances of Maria Wiegenlied and Angels from the Realms of Glory.