Daily Reading for December 13
A favorite Scandinavian holiday tradition is tied to the beautiful white clad figure of Lucia, the “bearer of light,” who illuminates the darkness of winter on the morning of December 13th. Very early, before dawn, when the world is still blanketed in darkness, Lucia appears at each bedside, dressed in a white gown with a red sash. Wearing a crown of candles on her head, she awakens each member of the family with light saying: “Saint Lucia brings you light and bids you come to breakfast.” In her hands she carries a tray of coffee, sweet rolls and cookies. . . .
This dark, cold time of the year is a paradox; both the most depressing and most hopeful of times. It is the period when, in early history, people sometimes actually feared that the light might not return. In Northern Hemisphere cultures, this period of cold and darkness was also actually the most dangerous time of the year; there was always the very real possibility that food and fuel might run out, with no means left for survival, as well as the always present potential that the weather itself could bring destruction. . . .
It is during this time of darkness that people have traditionally turned inward to contemplate the meaning and the vulnerability of life. In the long Arctic night, hearts have always looked forward with longing toward the return of the light. Though the nights are the longest, and the darkness is at its deepest in December, it is at this point, at the point of Solstice, Yule or Sun Return, that everything shifts. The circling journey is no longer a descent into darkness, but a rise toward the reawakening of the light. It is not surprising that the people of Scandinavia would be fascinated by and adopt as their own, a saint who came bearing hope and light.
From “The Celebration of Saint Lucia’s Day” by Edwina Peterson Cross (2003); quoted in the Made in Australia Advent calendar. http://www.outbackonline.net/Advent%20Calendar/Advent_SaintLucia.htm