In Sweden, this festival honors Saint Lucy. It marks, together with Advent, the beginning of the Christmas season. Today it is celebrated mainly in Scandinavia and southern Europe.
In traditional celebrations, Saint Lucy typically somes as a young woman with lights and sweets. Usually she wears a crown of candles, symbolizing fire that refused to take St. Lucy's live when she was sentenced to be burned. Usually a song is sung to the Neopoliatan song Santa Lucia, with Scandinavian lyrics fashioned for the occasion. After finishing the song, the procession usually continues with Christmas Carols or other songs.
The tradition began when Scandinavian countries were Catholic, but continued even after the Reformation. According to the Julian calendar, the night of Lucia was the longest night of the year, and the idea of light overcoming darkness was very appealing.
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