St. Lucia was a young Christian of Sicily who was martyred in 304 AD during the persecution under Emperor Diocletian. According to tradition, she had decided to devote her life to God and to give her possessions to the poor.  In Sweden in the late 1700’s, there were legends of a woman appearing in times of great famine distributing food to the starving. Perhaps because the name Lucia means light, and since her feast day falls on December 13, the week that marks the darkest days of the year, these stories were in turn attributed to the goodness and generosity of St. Lucia. Prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, December 13th was the longest night in Sweden, so there was a tradition of singing and performing music through the night. This served as the origin of the early morning Lucia procession.

St. Lucia will make her lighted appearance as a part of the Third Sunday in Advent. The worship service will feature Swedish folk and religious music presented by the Corona Chorus, guest violinist Nanette Goldman and Paul and Marikay Dahlin form the America Swedish Institute Spelmanslag.