Mellow Yellow Monday--Happy Santa Lucia Day!

Sage and her Swedish Lucia doll, Ida (pronounced with a long E for the I) celebrate the yellow of flickering candle light as we approach the darkest time of the year.

The winter holidays are full of traditions.

Some are silly family customs like running outside barefoot in the first snow, or decorating with an inside joke item.   Some are more common cultural traditions like decorating a Christmas tree with lights , or observing Hanukkah, the 8 day Jewish festival of lights.   December 13th marks another festival of light, St. Lucia Day, celebrated in Sweden.


Our immediate family is a cultural mix of many countries, with German and Swedish being the biggest percentage.   So we've made it a point to learn about and celebrate some of our heritage. 
  

This year we put out wooden shoes for St. Nicholas Day on December 6th.  


The kids filled them with baby carrots for his reindeer and woke to find the shoes filled with 3D shaped rubber bands from Piggy Back Bandz, Jo Jo's cookies from Trader Joe's, and an Eye Popping Color Lab from The Discovery Channel Store to share.








We've always gone to the Swedish Museum every Dec. 13th for the Lucia processions.   We'll also celebrate Winter Solstice with candles, bon fires, and a hike in the woods along luminary lined paths at North Park Nature Center.


In the Chicago area, you can check out Lucia festivities 11:30-12:30 in Daley Plaza as part of the Under The Picasso series or later at The Swedish Museum in Andersonville.   Here's the scoop from their web page.


Lucia Celebrations in Chicago

On Monday, Dec. 13, 2010, there will be numerous Lucia celebrations in Chicago.  The first starts with the Lucia Celebration at Daley Plaza at 11 a.m.  Daley Plaza, located at 50 W. Washington St., features Lucia candidates representing Swedish-American organizations throughout the Chicago area at this event organized by the St. Lucia Committee Chair, Irene Strom-Spejcher, from the Central Swedish Committee.

Later in the day, the Lucia celebrations will move to the north side of Chicago.  Starting from the Swedish American Museum at 4:45 p.m., there will be a Lucia procession through the Andersonville neighborhood.  At 5 p.m., the Museum will host a special musical Lucia program.  Finally, Ebenezer Lutheran Church, located at 1650 W. Foster Ave., will hold a Lucia service at 7 p.m.

If you have any questions about any Lucia events in Chicago, you may e-mail the Museum at Museum@samac.org or call 773.728.8111.

No matter where your ancestors are from or what you choose to celebrate, it's great to celebrate light at this darkest time of the year in our hemisphere.


Click below for more Mellow Yellow Monday fun.