The feast of Saint Lucia is celebrated differently in Verona, Syracuse, and Sweden, although all these traditions share the same saint: Lucia of Syracuse, a Christian martyr who lived between the 3rd and 4th centuries. 13 December, Saint Lucia in Verona. It's one of the most important festivals of the year. First and foremost, it’s a celebration for all children. On this occasion, they receive gifts from their parents and friends.
According to popular tradition, the saint arrives at night with a donkey laden with gifts. The donkey is led by a man known as "the Castaldo". However, if children have behaved badly during the year, they only receive coal. Saint Lucia in Verona is a major public celebration. Throughout the city, you'll find kiosks selling sweets, toys, and more. The main festivities take place in Piazza Bra, the square of the Arenas. The market lasts three days and concludes on 13 December.
The origins of the festival
The feast of Saint Lucia in Verona dates back to the 13th century, when an epidemic particularly affected children. At that time, to invoke divine help, people would make a pilgrimage with their children, barefoot, to the temple dedicated to the saint. A small 10th-century Romanesque church on Corso Porta Palio. The parents had promised the children that upon their return from the procession, they would find gifts as a consolation.
And that's what happened. It was at this time that the first "Santa Lucia Veronese" was born, which, over the centuries, has become the tradition we know today, and which characterises Verona for the giving of gifts to children. In other cities, gifts are delivered on Christmas Day or Epiphany, or, as in Sicily, they are brought by the departed.
The cult of Saint Lucia in Sweden
The cult of Saint Lucia, who lived between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, is also widespread in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden. Until the Julian calendar was used throughout the Scandinavian Peninsula, the night of 13 December was considered the longest of the year. Because the winter solstice occurred on that day. Today, with the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, the solstice has moved to 21 December. Proponents of the pagan origins of this festival claim that, since the Middle Ages, the Vikings dedicated this day to celebrating the return of light and enjoying a well-deserved rest after completing their agricultural work.
This allowed them to face the long Nordic winter with complete peace of mind. Others argue that the veneration of the saint likely dates back to the time when early missionaries introduced Christianity to the tribes of the Nordic peoples. In Sweden, Saint Lucia is revered as the queen of light, who fights and conquers darkness. During the celebrations, she is portrayed as a beautiful young blonde woman, dressed in a white tunic with a red ribbon around her waist. She wears a myrtle wreath on her head, adorned with numerous small, lit candles.
Syracuse, the birthplace of Saint Lucia
Every year, during the celebrations of Saint Lucia in Syracuse, her hometown and where she is also the patron saint, a figure representing light in all its forms – officially known as “Miss Light” since 1970 – is sent by the Swedes to Sicily, where her veneration is also very important.
According to legend, the young Lucia helped Christians hiding in the Catacombs of Syracuse by using a crown of candles to light her way and keep her hands free. Even today, the Syracusans dedicate a grand procession to their beloved patron saint.
The magnificent solid silver statue, carried by 48 men through all the streets of the city, is followed by the small procession of "Lucia of Sweden" and her choir. The feast of Saint Lucia unites distant places and cultures, Syracuse, Verona and Sweden, in a single celebration of light that wins over darkness.
In Syracuse, religious devotion prevails for the martyr who gave sight and faith; in Verona, the folk tradition that gives smiles and sweets to children survives; in Sweden, on the other hand, Lucia becomes a symbol of hope and rebirth, bringing light to the long nights of the North. Three different ways to honor the same saint, but a single universal message: the light of goodness and faith illuminates even the darkest days.
