13/12/2025
𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐖𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ✨
Today, December 13th, marks St. Lucia Day across Scandinavia—a tradition that transforms the longest, darkest stretch of winter into something luminous and sacred.
Picture this:
Across Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, schools, kindergartens, and churches dim their lights. A procession of children dressed in white emerges from the darkness, led by a young girl wearing a crown of candles (now safely electric).
They move in solemn formation, singing the hauntingly beautiful Sicilian melody "Santa Lucia," their voices echoing through halls that moments ago were shrouded in winter's deepest darkness.
The ceremony culminates with golden lussekatter, saffron buns shaped like spiraling suns, served alongside warm drinks, filling the air with the intoxicating aroma of the world's most expensive spice.
But why do we Scandinavians celebrate a Sicilian saint? And why saffron, of all things?
The answer lies in darkness itself.
Before the Gregorian calendar reform in 1752, December 13th was believed to be the winter solstice; the longest, darkest night of the year.
In Norway and Sweden, this night was known as Lussinatta (Lussi's Night), when dark forces were believed to roam. St. Lucia, whose name literally means "light," became the perfect symbol to chase away that darkness.
The saffron is no accident either.
This precious golden spice, once worth more than gold, was brought to Scandinavia by medieval monks and became a symbol of wealth, celebration, and most importantly, light in the depths of winter.
Those gorgeously bright, yellow buns shaped into S-curves and spirals?
They represent both the saint's name and the sun we desperately miss during these polar nights.
In a part of the world where the sun barely rises above the horizon in December (and doesn't rise at all in the far north), these traditions have become a survival mechanism, in addition to customs.
They're our ancestors' way of saying: "We will bring our own light. We will feast. We will sing. We will not surrender to the darkness."
Today, I'm honoring that resilience by filling my kitchen with the warm, earthy-floral scent of saffron, rolling dough into those ancient solar spirals, and remembering that even in our darkest seasons, we have always known how to create our own light.
God Lucia! 🕯️
Have you ever celebrated St. Lucia Day? Or tried making lussekatter?
I'd love to hear your stories and family traditions! 💛
P.S. You can find a recipe for lussekatter in the comments, but I've also been experimenting with a brand new recipe that turned out amazing... the recipe is only available in my free FB group Arctic Grub for now, so hop on over and check it out! :)
