St. Lucia Day

Further information about Turku Lucia on www.abolucia.fi (in Swedish).

The celebration of St. Lucia Day on December 13 has come specifically from the Swedish-speaking culture. Lucia, dressed in a white dress, a red belt, and a crown of candles, walks around with her companions in a procession of candles bringing light into the darkness of winter.

The first known instance of celebrating St. Lucia Day in the Nordic Countries is from Sweden, West Gothland, from 1746. In the Turku region the tradition started in Parainen in the beginning of 1950s. Officially the Lucia of Turku has been selected by Folkhälsan since 1996, but before that the Lucia of Katedralskolan, a Swedish-speaking school in Turku, acted as the unofficial “City Lucia” in various events.

Nowadays the celebration of St. Lucia Day has spread form the Christmas tradition of the Swedish-speaking community to the Finnish-speaking one as well. St. Lucia Day is celebrated especially in schools and day care centres.

After the crowning the Lucia procession moves on to the Christmas Street.