:: Tuesday, December 14, 2004 ::

Luciadagen

Today (or more accurately, yesterday, December 13) was a particular Swedish Christmastime holiday known as Lucia Day. I'm not sure what exactly it means (possibly something to do with bringing light back to the cold, dark Swedish winter), but in any case it involves a young woman in white robes with a crown of lit candles on her head, attended by other white-robed figures. I had a paper due and two Swedish exams today, so I was unable to attend any local ceremonies and missed the coronation of the national Lucia on television, but the university had their own mini-Lucia ceremony this morning right as I arrived. There was a Lucia, complete with crown of candles, and 12 other people in robes holding candles, singing beautiful music. It was quite a nice thing to calm my nerves right before a difficult Swedish test, and very beautiful, too, as it wasn't yet completely light. I have no idea what they were singing (minus the one English carol they sung), but it looked and sounded amazing. I did, however, find this song on the web, first in Swedish, then with an English translation:

Natten går tunga fjät
rund gård och stuva;
kring jord, som sol förlät,
skuggorna ruva.
Då i vårt mörka hus,
stiger med tända ljus,
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.

Natten går stor och stum
nu hörs dess vingar
i alla tysta rum
sus som av vingar.
Se, på vår tröskel står
vitklädd med ljus i hår
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.

Mörkret ska flykta snart
ur jordens dalar
så hon ett underbart
ord till oss talar.
Dagen ska åter ny
stiga ur rosig sky
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.

The night goes with weighty step
round yard and stove;
round earth, the sun departs,
leaves the woods brooding.
There in our dark house,
appears with lighted candles,
Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia.

The night goes great and mute
now hear it swing
in every silent room
murmurs as if from wings.
Look at our threshold stands
white-clad with lights in her hair
Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia.

The darkness shall soon depart
from the earth's valleys
thus she speaks
a wonderful word to us.
The day shall rise anew
from the rosy sky.
Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia.

Pretty cool, eh?

Well tomorrow I'm off on my whirlwind endurance trip home. The last train from Falun, overnight in the Stockholm bus station, a 4:00 AM bus to Skavsta airport, a 7:00 AM flight to Frankfurt-Hahn, a 2-hour bus ride to the main Frankfurt international airport, and then I get to try and find space on a flight to the U.S. Wish me luck! I'll only have about 2 weeks at home before I head to Prague for New Years, and then to Poland for the first couple of weeks of January. Quite the international jet-setter I've become.

So safe journeys to one and all, wherever you may be, and I hope to see you soon!

And Happy Birthday to Art!

Swedish words of the day: luciakrona, which means "Lucia crown," and luciatärna, which means "Lucia attendant"

:: posted by Rob 1:01 AM [+] ::

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