Saturday 1 November 2008

Popular Swedish tradition

The annual Swedish candle lit procession in St Pauls Cathedral is already sold out


When I went for coffee and cake at the Swedish Church yesterday, with Susanna and baby Alfie, I spoke to the staff about this year's Lucia celebration there. Apparently all shows apart from 9 Dec have already been sold out(!), which left me with no other choice than that date. There is one show at 6.30pm and a later one at 8pm. I opted for the early one because Sean will be with us by then. I bought three tickets (for me, Bear and my mother who will also be here) for £8 each.

For those who don't know, the Swedish Lucia celebration is a medieval tradition, honoured annually on the 13th of December.

Lucia, the main girl of a procession, wears a crown of candles on her head. She also has a white, full-length gown with a red ribbon around her waist. Her female attendants wear similar gowns and the "star boys" wear white pointed hats decorated with stars and they all sing traditional Lucia carols. Usually they appear early in the morning or in the evening when it's dark, bringing coffee and saffron-flavored buns, ginger snaps and some times gloegg (a mulled wine).


Tickets for the event at the Swedish Church, Harcourt Street, W1

Saffron buns traditionally eaten around Christmas time in Sweden


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tjena tjejen! Kul att komma i kontakt med dig igen! Har kikat in på din blogg regelbundet efter att du skickade adressen. Jättekul att följa dig och din familj liv i London o inför Seans ankomst. Jag har nästan glömt bort hur livet i London är efter alla dessa år tillbaka i Sverige igen. All lycka till er! Kram Therese Wikström

Anonymous said...

Åh, jag visste inte att de hade Luciatåg i St Pauls cathedral! Hade jag vetat det hade jag tagit med min syd afrikanska pojkvän dit omdelebums.

Och grattis till tillökningen :)

Caroline said...

Va mysigt....nu langtar jag till jul....igen!

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